NEW DELHI, May 24 � In another twist to the ongoing saga, the AICC is unlikely to nominate Motilal Vohra but is likely to send a team led by a senior leader.
According to sources, the issue was discussed at the highest level of the party and PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita was consulted before a decision was taken not to send party treasurer Motilal Vohra.
Kalita, meanwhile, had a brief meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the Central Hall of the Parliament and the developments in the Assam Congress were discussed.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, meanwhile, met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for what was described as a courtesy call. He thanked Dr Singh for all the support he gave to Assam as an MP from the State. Gogoi listed out the names of projects, including the Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge and Gas Cracker Project that were cleared because of the Prime Minister�s direct intervention.
The Chief Minister, however, avoided talking about the dissident activities and continued with his silence on the issue. Gogoi in fact kept away from a cultural function organised by State Culture Department this evening.
Meanwhile, Tarun Gogoi�s loyalists continued to stay put in the Capital and were waiting for an appointment with Sonia Gandhi. The group was asked by Ahmed Patel, political adviser to Congress president, to meet Gandhi.
Sources in the AICC, however, said that they have taken a very serious note of the developments in Assam that took place yesterday. The statements made by some of the senior ministers and MLAs were noted with concern. The move to meet the Governor by a group of MLAs has been frowned upon and it was only after that, that a decision was taken to send a senior leader to Assam to handle the situation instead of Vohra.
Sources admitted that they failed to gauge the seriousness of the situation initially but after yesterday �outburst� by some leaders, they have decided to take it rather seriously. Yesterday, State Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma blasted the Chief Minister and his group used rather unparliamentary words against Gogoi.
The AICC wants to get into the bottom of things and to resolve this once and for all, said the leader talking exclusively to this newspaper.
Sources said that the leader who is going to be eventually selected would be directed to talk to the MLAs individually and submit a report. As reported, the Chief Minister had told this newspaper that he had made up his mind to quit given the current situation. But his loyalists forced him to change his stand.
It has been learnt that senior AICC leaders have now asked both the groups to restrain themselves.
