SILCHAR, Feb 15 � Ending his 17-year-bond with the party, senior Congress leader and secretary of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee Pradip Dutta Roy on Saturday announced his resignation from the party blaming Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for its downfall in the State.
A student leader, Dutta Roy said he is no longer a Congress man at heart. He has been an important man in the party since the time of former Chief Minister Hiteshwar Saikia. He joined as a Congress working member in 1996. Expressing his discontent, Dutta Roy said �Congress in Assam is in dire need of an able leadership. Gogoi lacks vision. His role in the Government has pushed Assam politics 10 years behind and the APCC has no value at Delhi. It is because of him that the Congress is biting the dust in the State. I have no wish to remain in the party and my decision has been communicated to the higher authorities,� Dutta Roy was quoted as saying.
Interestingly, he also mentioned that he has had talks with the BJP and even the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but whether he will join any of the two parties will be announced after getting consent of his aides. He however denied being tagged as an �opportunist� saying that he has contributed to the best of his abilities to a party which is pseudo-secular.
Claiming that the decision by former Education and Health Minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma to resign from the ministry was justified, the unhappy politician said that Dr Sarma is a worthy politician and his decision to protest is correct. The APCC must also announce revolt against the Chief Minister who has utterly failed to lead the party, the advocate-turned politician added.
Taking a dig at Gogoi, Dutta Roy said Barak Valley has been neglected only because Gogoi never wanted this part of Assam to develop. Further blaming the Chief Minister, Dutta Roy said that it is mainly because of Gogoi, that the mega national projects� Broad Gauge and the East-West corridor (Maha Sadak) has not yet materialised. He criticised the statement by the APCC president Anjan Dutta that non-Congress civic boards in the State will be given funds. He added that the local MP Susmita Dev�s suggestion of a Bengali Deputy Chief Minister is hypothetical as it does not ensure votes for the party.
