BJP frustrated, so celebrating alliance with BPF: Gogoi

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Feb 11: In a fresh tirade against the BJP, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday said the saffron party was "frustrated" and that was why it was so upbeat over the alliance with a "small party" like the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) for the upcoming assembly elections.

A day after BJP president Amit Shah hailed the alliance between his party and the BPF, Gogoi said the BJP "cannot even contest the elections" without the BPF.

"Now without the BPF and its chief Hagrama Mohilary, they (BJP) cannot even contest the elections. Can you imagine the Prime Minister coming twice to meet Hagrama Mohilary in Kokrajhar.

"... yesterday (Wednesday) party president Amit Shah came to meet Hagrama Mohilary, who is confined to a small area like Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) and represents a small community. This only indicates frustration of the saffron party," said Gogoi.

The chief minister said the Congress had also allied with the BPF in the past.

"We had also formed an alliance with the BPF in the past. However, I never went there to meet him. It was Hagrama Mohilary who came to us (Congress) and met me.

"The BJP has now made Hagrama Mohilary a bigger leader than Prime Minister rendra Modi and Amit Shah," he said.

On Shah's Wednesday remark at a public rally that the CAG did not get replies to 822 inspection reports for more than 10 years and that there were serious fincial irregularities of Rs.1,79,755.12 crore, Gogoi said Shah "was nobody to ask him about that".

"Why should I reply to Amit Shah? Let the Prime Minister ask me, I'll reply then.

"This is nothing but propaganda before the elections. I submit memorandums to the Prime Minister and Fince minister of India. Let them ask me about the irregularities, I'll reply," Gogoi said.

On Shah mentioning rhino killings, Gogoi said: "Neither Shah nor the Prime Minister mentioned a single word about the 150 people who died during the floods in Assam in the last two years.

"Does it mean that rhinos of Assam have more value than the people of Assam for the BJP. When the secret killings were taking place, did the Central government ask the then State government to stop it?" he asked.

The CM reiterated that that the "origil" BJP leaders of the State have been sidelined and "imported" leaders like Sarbanda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma were calling the shots in the State party unit now.