Sonowal as CM? Gogoi doubts 'capability'

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Dec 4: With the BJP dropping broad hints that Sarbanda Sonowal could be its chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming assembly elections, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today trained his guns at the State BJP president, questioning his “capability” to “lead the State”.

“He (Sonowal) is uble to conduct the SAF Games (on his own). He has also failed as a Union Skill Development minister. How can he lead a State?” Gogoi told a group of reporters here.

Gogoi said even if the people want change, “they will first evaluate the potential of the person who is coming”.

“There are even doubts over his ideology. When he was in the AGP, he was vouching for regiolism. Now, he is in the BJP,” Gogoi said.

The three-time Chief Minister also claimed that initially he did not wish to contest elections for the fourth time. “But if I don’t do, the BJP and RSS will ruin the schemes I rolled out,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gogoi said that though the Central government has not shown “neglect” to the State, yet it has cut down additiol funds which the State used to get during the UPA regime.

“They (Central government) cannot neglect me. But they have slashed the additiol benefits which we were getting before. Those benefits which we should get as per the rule book we are getting,” he said.  

Asserting that the State Government is experiencing no fund crunch in paying salaries to the employees regularly, Gogoi, however, said that no fresh recruitment or scheme is being taken up because the Centre was not releasing funds for it.

Reiterating that his comment on Hindi-speaking people was twisted out of context, Gogoi said, “If Nitish Kumar can make an appeal to the Bihari pride, why can’t I do the same and take pride in the Assamese. I had never said anything against the Hindi-speaking. I had just said outsiders should not domite the affairs in the State.”

“There has never been any casteism in Assam. Even if the BJP or RSS try to divide the people, they won’t succeed,” the CM said.

He said that the Hindi-speaking people were living in the State peacefully, working and earning a livelihood. “The militants are targeting them to draw the attention of New Delhi,” he added.