Guwahati: Assam Chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday expressed his anguish over BJP-led NDA government ignoring recommendations of Assam government while selecting this year’s Padma Awardees from the state.
Gogoi claimed that none of the persons recommended by Assam government for this year’s Padma awards were included in the list of awardees announced by the Centre on the eve of the Republic Day.
He maintained that this was against the spirit of cooperative federalism and Team India, the ideas which are advertised and promoted by the BJP-led NDA government so widely.
Gogoi pointed that none of the four persons from the state – Dhirendra Nath Bezboruah, Ajoy Kumar Dutta, Kameswar Brahma and Prahlad Chandra Tasa — who were bestowed with Padma Shree awards, were not recommended by the state government
He informed said the state government had sent a list of 28 names for consideration for Padma awards. “No one who was recommended by the state government was given the Padma award this year. If the Centre had no intention to give the award to persons from the state per our recommendation, then why did they ask for the list from the state government?” the CM questioned.
He also questioned on whose recommendation the four persons from the state were given Padma Shree and alleged that those persons were perhaps recommended by at some BJP leaders.
The CM further informed that the tableau from Assam was included in the Republic Day parade at New Delhi only after he had personally intervened and took up the matter with the Defence Minister.
Assam’s tableau depicting Rongali Bihu won the third best prize in the parade. “We do not want to go for confrontation with the Centre , but we will fight if we are denied our right,” he added.
