'Influx greatest danger for Assam'

Governor steps into NRC row

I do not know why the Chief Minister is advising that the electoral rolls should be basis. The electoral rolls need to be rectified: PB Acharya

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, June 25: Amid the raging row between Dispur and Raj Bhavan, Governor PB Acharya today questioned Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's fresh proposal to include all persons whose mes appeared on the electoral rolls in the tiol Register of Citizens (NRC) and underlined that a matter of "tiol security" like NRC should be handled in a very cautious matter.

“I do not know why the Chief Minister is advising that the electoral rolls should be basis. The electoral rolls need to be rectified. The issue of illegal migrants is the greatest danger for the State and it also concerns the security of the country. We have to be very careful,” Governor Acharya told The Sentinel in an interview.

The Governor also wondered as to why the State government was questioning his activities and raising objections.

“I am an apolitical man now. I am pained at their move to take to the streets. If the State government wants to discuss anything, my doors are always open. I am open to discuss any issue…but the CM has never told me anything,” Acharya said.

He claimed that he had sent a list of six members nomited by him to the Bodoland Territorial Council one month back, but the State government is sitting on it. “I do not know why they are not responding,” he said.

“The Governor has some discretiory powers. I am responsible for what I do. I have to keep the interests of the State and country at the forefront. I have done nothing beyond my mandate,” he said. He also justified the credentials of the members nomited by him to the court of Dibrugarh University.

“All the people selected are from tribal areas. Dibrugarh University is a premier university of the region. Many highly educated people are products of the university. I have chosen noted educationists as members of the court and the vice chancellor and the registrar are quite happy with the panel,” the Governor said.

“The (Congress) is saying some of the members are from RSS. But is the RSS a banned organization? I do not understand what is the objection,” he said.

The Governor also mentioned the issue of rhino poaching and expressed doubts as to why his suggestions were opposed by the State government.

“A small group of poachers are holding the State to ransom and the huge force of the State Forest department is uble to do anything. I suggested that it was not fair and that we need to take a little more care by involving people in the char areas and in the fringes of Kaziranga as the first line of defence. They objected to even that. I don’t know why they are making an issue of everything… whether it is vote bank system or something else,” he said.

The Governor also said that his statement at a meeting in Silchar was misrepresented. “The context was corruption. I had said that it is our own people who are looting money and accumulating them in foreign banks since Independence. This trend should stop,” he said.

When asked whether he would take up the Raj Bhavan-Dispur conflict with the President of India as the Congress has already shot off a memorandum, Acharya said, “If the President asks me anything, I will reply. In a democracy everyone has the right to raise their voices.”