From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: In order to discipline vocal ministers and legislators of the ruling Congress, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has issued an instruction through the State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nilamoni Sen Deka barring legislators from talking to media without prior permission from the Chief Minister.
The ruling party legislators have been told that any violation of the order would call for disciplinary action under the provisions in the party’s constitution.
The Chief Minister’s order which was conveyed to each of the ruling party legislators by the parliamentary affairs minister, came in the wake of recent embarrassment caused to the ruling party by some of its legislators and ministers by making comments against party colleagues in public and before the media.
It all started when a young legislator of Congress Piyush Hazarika criticized the State Power and Industries Minister Pradyut Bardoloi for being a ‘failed minister’.
The power minister was target of senior cabinet minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma too. Dr Sarma even went to the extent of naming few other senior ministers who, he said, were nurturing a dream to become the chief minister, like himself.
His comments drew sharp reactions from his ministerial colleagues.
In the latest such episode, a Congress women legislator Rumi Nath who is in the eye of a storm over her second marriage without getting divorce from his first husband, targeted Border Areas Development minister Siddique Ahmed accusing him of engineering the controversy over her personal life. Nath’s comment evoked sharp reaction from Ahmed who while criticizing Nath also engaged in war of words with another senior minister Gautom Roy much to the embarrassment of the party.
These episodes of mudslinging caused flutters in the party circles as well as among the people besides exposing the chinks within the ruling party.
The development has finally forced the chief minister Tarun Gogoi to restrict Congress ministers and legislators going to the Press without his permission.