GUWAHATI, Sept 7 - �Unity of the Opposition was the crucial factor leading to the electoral debacle of the Congress in the last elections to the State Assembly�. This was observed by the extended executive committee of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) in its meeting held here on September 4.
The growing differences between the party and the Government it had led, the chaos in the panchayats, delay in announcing the names of the party candidates, lack of a well-planned propaganda campaign, overconfidence in a section of the party leaders and workers, inactivity of a section of the party leaders and workers and irregularities in selecting the beneficiaries of the welfare schemes declared on the eve of the polls invited the wrath of the people. And finally, these factors contributed to the dismal performance of the party in the Assembly elections, said the extended executive committee of the party.
However, the committee reminded the party workers that on previous occasions, the Congress could come back to power riding on the high morale of its workers together with its secular ideals and the commitment it has towards the uplift of all sections of people.
The meeting alleged that the ruling party has now been trying to divert the people�s attention from the basic issues and for the purpose, it has created an anarchic condition by posing a threat of eviction to linguistic and religious minority people of Mayong and Sipajhar, who are the victims of flood and erosion.
The meeting expressed concern over this and demanded of the State Government steps to ensure security and safety of life and property of all sections of the people.
The meeting vehemently condemned the bids made by the ruling party to lure or threaten elected members of the panchayats, local self-governing bodies, etc., to join it.
In its economic resolutions, the committee alleged that the Central Government led by Narendra Modi and the State Government led by Sarbananda Sonowal are wholly responsible for the abnormal rise in the prices of the essential items. The State Government has imposed one per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on 127 items and thus the prices of most of the essential items have shot up abnormally.
The BJP has also withdrawn the subsidy on cooking gas and this has made it costlier, it said. The committee demanded the State Government take steps to explore the oil wells of the State on its own, instead of handing them over to the corporate groups through auction. It also demanded restoration of the North East Industrial and Infrastructure Policy (NEIIP) and Special Category State status to the 11 states of the country, and proper implementation of the Food Security Act schemes.
