GUWAHATI, Aug 31 - Opposition Congress will approach the 15th Finance Commission seeking restoration of the Special Category State status for Assam.
Addressing the media here today, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge for Assam and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat said a committee of the State Congress would be formed to draft a memorandum in this regard.
�The NDA regime �snatched away� the Special Category State status that Assam used to enjoy earlier. The 15th Finance Commission has been constituted. We have decided to take up the Special Category State status issue and also other economic considerations pertaining to Assam before the 15th Finance Commission. We will submit a memorandum to the Commission in this regard. The work on drafting the memorandum would be carried out under the overall guidance of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi,� Rawat said.
Senior leaders from Assam Pradesh Congress Committee will also be part of the committee which will work under the guidance of Gogoi in formulating the draft.
It is noteworthy that the 14th Finance Commission had done away with the concept of Special Category States.
Asked if Congress is looking to explore the option of forming alliances for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rawat said that 20-odd parties are already part of the UPA headed by the grand old party.
He said focus is now more on dealing with alliances at the national level and any decision regarding State-level alliance with parties like AIUDF can only be taken up after the �go ahead� from the Congress Working Committee (CWC).
Rawat said the Congress is against the suggestion of simultaneous polls for Parliament and State Assemblies across the country. �The proposal of simultaneous polls has been mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to divert the attention of the people and to hide the corruption and failure of his regime. Even the Election Commission of India has stated clearly that simultaneous polls are not possible. A constitutional amendment would be required for that purpose,� he said.
Accusing the BJP regimes in both New Delhi and Dispur of failing to fulfil promises and betraying the trust of the electorate, Rawat said the Congress party will intensify its BJP Sarkar - Hisab Diyak Uttar Diyak campaign in the grassroots level in the coming days. �We will reach out to the people across Assam and tell them the truth. Just like Modi betrayed the people of India, Sarbananda has also acted like a true chela (disciple) of Modi as far as not fulfilling promises is made,� alleged the senior Congress leader.
He said the party will also intensify its campaign on the Rafale deal controversy and reach out to the masses, including in Assam, to explain the details regarding the defence deal.
�Prime Minister Modi personally ignored rules and procedures and concluded the deal with a French company single-handedly. All democratic forces have joined hand to expose this,� Rawat alleged.