Gogoi sees 'politics' behind Rajth's border visit

Home Minister's refusal to take along Dispur's representative leaves CM fuming

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Jan 3: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today questioned why Union Home Minister Rajth Singh did not ask any State government official to accompany him during his visit to the Bangladesh border at Karimganj.

"He goes to see the Bangladesh border and does not ask State government officials to accompany him…but takes along AASU leaders and party leaders like Mahendra Singh. What kind of a visit is this? It is nothing but politics," Gogoi said.

 "We welcome Union Home Minister's border visit. However, not taking the Assam government's representative along with him in spite of its (State government's) request is a violation to the spirit of cooperative federalism and NDA government's much vaunted rhetoric of Team India," he said.

Gogoi said that the State government has an important role in safeguarding the border and hence the Assam government should have been taken into confidence for making the border visit more meaningful. "Never before in my long political career, has a State government been ignored like this," Gogoi fumed.

Gogoi said that a request was made by the State government to accommodate Inspector General (SB) HC th as a State government representative. "However, the request was turned down, citing space constraint as the reason. However, in addition to the me of 13 persons mentioned in the manifest, Himanta Biswa Sharma and Mahendra Singh were accommodated for the border visit. Taking political leaders while ignoring government officials to solve a problem where the State's interest is involved, exposes the partisan attitude of the Union Home Minister," Gogoi said.