From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Encouraged by the decision of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) to appoint two of his trusted lieutenants as secretaries of the AICC, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi is now getting tough with dissident Congress MLAs in the State who have been causing headache to him of late.
Gagoi has hailed the AICC’s decision especially the party vice-president Rahul Gandhi for appointing his two favourite Congress legislators and parliamentary secretaries- Bhupen Bora and Rana Goswami as AICC secretaries. Gogoi also lauds appointment of Dr C P Joshi as AICC in- charge of Assam replacing Digvijay Singh.
It is an apparent boon for Gogoi as Digvijay Singh has been relieved of Assam charge by the party leadership given that the latter was a favourite with the dissident groups of MLAs in Assam.
For the first time since dissidents reared their heads in the ruling Congress Legislature Party, Gogoi has stated that it was the state health and education minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma who was behind the dissidence. Gogoi said Dr Sarma was fomenting dissidence in order to fulfill his desire to become the chief minister of Assam.
Gogoi warned that Himanta might not sound obedient to him, but he had to listen to his orders as long as he remained minister under him (Gogoi). Gogoi further stated that he would remain the chief minister of Assam as long as the people of Assam and the AICC leadership wanted him to continue.
Gogoi further said that some of the party MLAs who give bites to TV channels against him in day time come to him after the dusk to express solidarity with him.