NEW DELHI, Sept 24 � A day after reminding the Centre about the volatile situation prevailing in the State, at the meeting of National Integration Council, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today rushed to meet Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to plead not to withdraw the Central para-military forces citing the pending elections to the Mising and Sonowal Kachari autonomous councils.
The Chief Minister today did not talk politics but was engaged in meeting Central Ministers, including Union Tribal Affairs Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo and Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, besides Shinde. He is also likely to call on Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The Chief Minister�s first port of call was North Block where he met Shinde ostensibly to brief him about the prevailing law-and-order situation. �The law-and-order situation in Assam is much better and we do not need additional forces now,� he told waiting newsmen.
Gogoi, however, was quick to add that he has requested the Home Minister not to withdraw the forces currently deployed in the State in view of the pending elections to the two autonomous councils. �If we need we may ask for additional forces but the force level currently deployed should not be decreased,� he said.
The election to the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council and Mising Autonomous Council are scheduled to be held on September 30 and October 3, respectively.
Meanwhile, Gogoi discussed with Shinde the problems arising in the State following the declaration of the creation of a separate State of Telangana. While reiterating his opposition to further division of Assam, he appreciated the Centre�s initiative of engaging with the various organisations. This was Gogoi�s first meeting with the Home Minister after the first round of discussions between Centre and the agitating groups.
The Chief Minister said that he had also discussed with Shinde the issue of further empowering the Sixth Schedule autonomous councils, as demanded by its key ally BPF.
The Chief Minister also broached up the issue of developing the border areas, particularly the Indo-Bhutan border. Work on the 62-km stretch of the road connecting the neighbouring country has already started under the Border Area Development Programme, he added.
Meanwhile, replying to questions, the Chief Minister declined to join issues with the latest controversy involving General (retd) VK Singh, asserting that the former Army chief would be embarrassed if he were to disclose what the General had stated when he was heading the Tezpur-based Four Corp.
The Chief Minister, however, maintained silence when asked about the possibility of reshuffling his ministry.