Guwahati: Waiting is yet to be over for dissident Congress MLAs even as the fate of Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi continues to hang in balance at least till the party high command takes the final call on the basis of the report to be submitted by the AICC observer Mallikarjun Kharge who was sent by Sonia Gandhi to test the water in Assam Congress.
Before leaving for New Delhi, Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said here that it was the party high command that would take the final decision in the wake of a group of dissident Congress MLAs demanding ouster of Tarun Gogoi under the leadership of Assam’s health and education minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Kharge had several rounds of discussions with Congress leaders in the state, legislators and office-bearers of Assam during the last one and a half day here.
“I have met a whole lot of people including MLAs, MPs, ex-MPs, DCC presidents and APCC office bearers. Each of them has given me their individual opinion which I will place before the party high command. It is for the high command to take a decision that all will have to follow in order to strengthen the party,” Kharge said before leaving.
Earlier, emerging from an hour-long meeting with Kharge, chief minister Gogoi said that a section of Congressmen had demanded his removal.
Gogoi said he had no idea as to what report Kharge would submit. “I cannot say. I cannot predict. All I can say is that the AICC high command will take the final decision after his report,” he added.
Regarding his meeting the AICC leader, Gogoi said the discussions focused , among other issues, reasons behind the Congress party’s poor show in Assam in the Lok Sabha elections.
“Our results were bad in Lok Sabha election . We discussed the post-election scenario as well as strategy to be adopted for the 2016 assembly elections. Yes, there is discontent within the party. Some have demanded a change in the leadership. It is for the high command to decide,” he added.
Meanwhile, the dissident group of MLAs by and large remained tight-lipped following their discussions with the AICC observer. Usually ebullient the dissident MLAs’ leader Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma who met Kharge late last evening, maintained silence.
Two senior dissident party MLAs – Sarat Barkataki and Rameswar Dhanwar – however, stated that they had opined for removal Gogoi as the chief minister.
The Congress has now 77 legislators in Assam, of which the anti-Gogoi camp claims to have 46 on its side.
Senior legislator Anjan Dutta which is part of pro-Gogoi group, said while “some MLAs” demanded ouster of Tarun Gogoi, others spoke in chief minister’s favour.
Kharge has obviously returned to New Delhi after gathering divergent views from the Congress MLAs and party leaders here and the party high command is likely to take a decision on the basis of his report.
Anjan Dutta predicted that high command’s decision was likely by June 30 next as the party has to prepare to face several elections including civic bodies polls and by-elections.
