'MHA had suspected Himanta had links with Ulfa'

Gogoi says he had to fight with the then Union Home Minister to get the clearance for TV channel owned by Sarma’s wife

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Sept 16: Spilling the beans a day after Himanta Biswa Sarma resigned as an MLA, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today claimed the Union Home Ministry was reluctant to give clearance to the TV channel owned by Sarma’s wife, suspecting that he had links with the banned Ulfa.

"The Home Ministry had refused to give clearance to the TV channel. I had to fight with the then Union Home Minister Shivraj Patel to get the clearance. That is how he got it (clearance). (Former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh used to tease me about this quite often," Gogoi told reporters here.

Describing Sarma’s exit from the Congress as a “blessing in disguise”, Gogoi said he was creating nuisance in the party. “It is good that he has left,” he said.

Gogoi said Sarma’s ambition is to become the Chief Minister and that is why he has joined the BJP.

“He knows he cannot be a CM if he is in the Congress. There is no vacancy here. That is why he joined the BJP. The only reason is self-interest. Had he joined the Congress to serve it, he would not have left it,” the Gogoi said.

“In fact, he was never a Congressman. He had even admitted that he had connections with the RSS in the past,” he said.

Gogoi admitted that he erred in judging Sarma. “He used to praise and flatter me very often…even at public meetings. He wormed his way into my heart very cleverly. I had developed a lot of enemies in the party for trusting him so much,” Gogoi said.

“He (Himanta) thinks that the Congress is a sinking ship and so he has jumped off it. But he is wrong. We will again come to power in the 2016 assembly elections,” the CM added.