Guwahati: Terming party vice-president Rahul Gandhi ‘a democrat and a statesman with vision’ and BJP’s Narendra Modi ‘an autocrat’, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday vowed to expose BJP lies by bringing out a ‘White Paper’ giving comparative details about contributions of the Congress-led UPA government and erstwhile the BJP-led NDA government towards development of Assam.
“The BJP and its leaders like Modi remember Assam and its people when an election is round the corner otherwise people of Assam would not have faced their worst time when the BJP-led NDA was in power in Centre and its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) was ruling in Assam,” Gogoi said.
“We have decided to bring out a White Paper by March 15 to expose BJP and Modi’s lies and let people know how insensitive was the BJP-led NDA government towards the problems of Assam including flood, erosion, unemployment etc,” Gogoi added.
Gogoi claimed that the latest two-day visit of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to Assam on February 25 and 26 had done immense good for the morale of Congress workers and leaders in Assam given the overwhelming response of all sections of people to the leader all over the State.
“We have now become more confident of doing better in Lok Sabha polls in Assam. People from all section have responded very enthusiastically to Rahul Gandhi. That is a very good sign,” Gogoi said.
Women Police: Number of women in Assam police force will be increased many fold with Assam government deciding to increase women percentage in the state police force from present four per cent (4%) to 15 per cent.
Addressing the valedictory function of All India Women Police Conference, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said as on date there were only four per cent women in Assam police force compared to all India average figure of ten per cent but it would be soon increased to 15 per cent.
Gogoi said women in Assam are more assertive that their counterparts in other states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and it is a key reason for less number of incidence of women harassment in Assam.
He said more women in police force would be a boon to women folk facing various sorts of harassment in the state as the victims would be able to open up more before women police personnel.
Wildlife police station in Kaziranga Park
In view of the spurt in rhino poaching incidents in Assam especially in the famous Kaziranga National Park (KNP) where eight rhinos were killed till Thursday in just two months, Assam government has decided to set up the state’s first wildlife police station in Kaziranga National Park.
Gogoi said the wildlife police station which will operate under forest department and would be manned by both police and forest department personnel would help expedite investigation into cases of rhino poaching and other wildlife related crimes besides improving vigil against rhino poachers.
Gogoi said the one-horned rhinos were facing grave threat all over the globe because of its horn that commanded heavy prices in international clandestine market of wildlife parts.
He said Assam government was yet to consider the option of dehorning the rhinos for their safetyman practice that has been adopted in many African rhino habitat to protection of the animal.
