GUWAHATI, Sept 13 - Welcoming the decision of Hitendra Nath Goswami to start the �Speaker�s Initiative� in the Legislative Assembly, former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that the �callous attitude� of the State Government has forced the Speaker to take up such a step.
Addressing a press conference here, Gogoi said, �The Speaker�s Initiative is a good step. But it also proves that the Government is callous and not taking issues seriously. So the Speaker had to take the step.�
He added, �However, merely discussing issues in the Assembly is not enough. If the Government is not serious in addressing the issues, then it would be just a waste of time. The Government will have to formulate an action plan to tackle the matters discussed in the House.�
Gogoi said that the BJP-led regime in Dispur has failed to take any steps for the tea community.
�We fixed the minimum wage at Rs 177. But this Government has kept mum for one-and-a-half years and done nothing to have the High Court�s stay on the matter lifted,� he said.
The first Speaker�s Initiative was taken up yesterday at the Legislative Assembly on the subject of socio-financial uplift and preservation and promotion of culture of the tea community of Assam and revival and development of tea trade.
Gogoi added that the defeat of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) candidates in the student body polls in the Gauhati University and Dibrugarh University as well as in JNU and Delhi University points to the fact that the saffron camp is losing support, especially among the youths of India.
Regarding alleged harassment faced by a couple of lady teachers based in remote locations of the State in recent days, Gogoi alleged that women�s safety has become a major cause of concern under the present Government.
He also said that such incidents should not be a given a religious colour just because the alleged victims and perpetrators belong to different religious denominations.
