GUWAHATI: Delivering a lethal blow to the camp of detractors and dissident MLAs within the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Assam, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday asked Assam Tarun Gogoi to continue as the chief minister of the State while declining his offer of resignation.
It was informed by senior Congress MLA from the Gogoi camp, Anjan Dutta who also said there would be a reshuffle in the Assam cabinet after the Gogoi-led government observes its third consecutive term in the office on June 1 next.
Dutta made these comments after meeting Tarun Gogoi at his New Delhi residence following his meeting with Sonia Gandhi.
What Dutta said was corroborated by senior Congress leader and former MP, Bijoy Krishna Handique, a close friend of Tarun Gogoi. Handique said Gogoi was in excellent and upbeat mood. “He (Gogoi) has been working and will continue to work as the CM,” Handique said.
Dutta further informed that Gogoi had met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, AICC in charge of Assam C P Joshi and Ahmed Patel earlier in the day before meeting Sonia Gandhi at around 4-50 P.M. to submit his resignation owning moral responsibility for the poll debacle in Assam.
“All these AICC leaders told Gogoi to continue as the CM and that there is no need for resignation,” Dutta said.
Four ministers – Pradyut Bardoloi, Rakibul Hussain, Nilamoni Sen Deka and Tanka Bahadur Rai who are known to be close to Gogoi are now camping with Tarun Gogoi in New Delhi.
Rakibul Hussain after meeting the chief minister in New Delhi said Gogoi would continue to remain in office.
Meanwhile, the dissident MLAs numbering over 40 including some senior MLAs have been confabulating frequently here raising demand for change of CLP leadership in the wake of Gogoi’s declaration to quit as CM subject to approval of the party president.
Party sources in formed that the dissident groups wrote a letter to be sent to Sonia Gandhi demanding change of legislature party leadership in the state.
A senior minister Goutom Roy who has joined the dissidence camp on Thursday said it would be matter of only 15 days before Assam health and education minister Dr Himanta Bishwa Sharma became the chief minister of the state.
On the other hand Sushmita Dev, MP, in whose honour the ‘dissident MLAs’ had organised a dinner party two days back, said that it was not a campaign to oust the CM or make someone else the CM, but it was a campaign to save Congress.
She, however, declined to reveal names, if any, that are being projected by the dissident groups as the next Congress CM in the State. She was on Thursday summoned by Rahul Gandhi for a meeting with him in New Delhi.
