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Gogoi anti-democratic, alleges Opposition

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, March 29 � The Opposition today described Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi as an anti-democratic politician to the core.

He is the man behind the Congress� machination to get its candidates elected to the Rajya Sabha (RS) with the votes of the �abducted� Opposition legislators. Behind the Chief Minister�s self-proclaimed clean image, a dangerous facet is kept hidden, alleged the Opposition leaders at a joint press conference here.

Addressing the press conference, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Chandra Mohan Patowary, State president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Ranjit Dutta, secretary of the All India United Democratic Front Legislature Party (AIUDFLP) Dr Aditya Langthasa and Independent legislator Bhuban Pegu dismissed the Chief Minister�s charge against the Opposition that it was anti-people, as bogus.

They said that had the Chief Minister been a democrat, he would have asked the Speaker to allow the Opposition to raise its points today on the RS election. The Opposition wanted to raise its points on the violation of the election codes by the Congress during the March 26 RS election. It also sought to make an open appeal to the Speaker to disqualify those legislators who deserted its camp in blatant violation of the people�s mandate, said the Opposition leaders.

With the act of alluring some of the Opposition legislators, who themselves proposed the name of Jayanta Baruah as the consensus candidate of the Opposition, the Congress under Tarun Gogoi�s leadership also insulted Rajiv Gandhi, the architect of the anti-defection legislation of the country.

By announcing the development councils for the Naths, Bishnupriya Manipuris and the Maimals and the Ministerial Committee to study the issue of more autonomy to Karbi Anglong, only hours before the RS election, the Government led by the Congress also violated the election codes, they alleged.

To the Congress, development could take place only in those areas where people bowed before it. This was nothing but blackmailing, alleged the Opposition leaders.

The present flood in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts, much ahead of the onset of the monsoon, had exposed the real facet of the Congress� claim of development under its rule, claimed the Opposition leaders.

On the issue of pricking of conscience, which the Congress claimed had led the deserter Opposition MLAs to vote for the Congress� candidates on March 26, the Opposition leaders dared the ruling party to explain it. They refuted this as an afterthought of the Congress to defend its �wicked act of bribing� these legislators.

The Congress, under the leaders like Tarun Gogoi, had trampled the spirit it had during the time of the leaders like former Premier the late Jawaharlal Nehru, who always insisted on preserving a healthy democratic atmosphere maintaining consensus and communication with the Opposition. This once helped the Congress earn the deference of a �system� from scholars like Prof Rajni Kothari, said the Opposition leaders.

Dismissing the suggestion that the March 26 RS election had dented the Opposition strength, the Opposition leaders claimed that their camp was united and the March 26 election had only emboldened it. The March 26 event had brightened up the prospect of the Opposition in the 2011 Assembly elections, they claimed. They also made an appeal to the �deserter� MLAs to resign and to seek re-election on Congress� tickets.

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