GUWAHATI, July 6 - Former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ignored the North East in his latest Union Cabinet expansion.
�Rajen Gohain has been inducted as a Minister of State. Had he been given the portfolio of a Cabinet Minister, he could have raised our issues at the Cabinet meetings. But that was not to be,� Gogoi said addressing mediapersons here.
�Assam is being neglected despite the people voting for the BJP. It goes to show how much Modi loves Assam,� the three-time former Chief Minister stated.
Gogoi also flayed the State government for increasing VAT on 127 household goods and said that the decision would add to the burden of the common man.
The State government on Tuesday also increased VAT to 6 per cent from 5 per cent on 127 household goods with immediate effect.�Gogoi also slammed the government for not being able to arrest the prices of essential commodities although it had closed down the checkgates.
�Unlike what the BJP had claimed, there has been no change in the plight of common man whatsoever. In fact things are getting worse,� Gogoi asserted.
On the terror front Gogoi opined that the State is facing a serious threat from the ISIS. Some local militant groups too have an understanding with the fundamentalist forces, he added.
�There is a need to create awareness among youths against such radical forces and at the same time secure our borders,� Gogoi pointed out.
