Tarun Gogoi to Sonowal: Show BJP work

Campaigning for the Assam Assembly polls has already begun with chief minister Tarun Gogoi daring Union minister and BJP state chief Sarbananda Sonowal to come out with a “white paper” on the achievements of former and present BJP governments. He also advised him against “spreading canards” against Congress dispensations.

Mr Sonowal is being seen as the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate. Assam is the only state among five going to the polls in the coming months where the BJP is optimistic that it will gain. Mr Gogoi also met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi along with the PCC chief during the day.

“Sonowal cannot hoodwink the people of Assam by making false statements that the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government virtually did nothing for Assam in the past 10 years of its term and the present Congress dispensation in Assam in the past 15 years. People can witness the development on different fronts. like roads, health and education. The state has surpassed even big states like Gujarat in some key parameters,” he said here.

Mr Gogoi said Mr Sonowal should come out with a “white paper” on what the previous BJP-led NDA government headed by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the present dispensation headed by Mr Narendra Modi, did for Assam during the eight years that they ruled. “The Modi-led government, after its total failure to usher in ‘achche din’, has been trying to divert people’s attention by spreading false propaganda against the Congress government in Assam. Narendra Modi had promised that he would resolve major issues confronting Assam during his Lok Sabha campaign. But after becoming the Prime Minister he has taken U-turns on issues like pushing back Bangladeshis, stopping rhino killings, lowering the Subansiri dam, and granting ST status to six ethnic communities,” he said.

Mr Gogoi asked Mr Sonowal to explain why, if Mr Modi has so much love, affection and concern for the people of the state, has his government deprived the state of special category status, suspended the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy, changed the funding pattern of Centrally-sponsored schemes and slashed funds from the ministry of DoNER against NLCPR and NEC.