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Sonowal leaving for Delhi today on 3-day visit

By Rituraj Borthakur

GUWAHATI, Sept 18 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will fly to New Delhi tomorrow for a three-day visit during which he is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and discuss a range of core issues.

Sonowal�s meeting with Home Minister may take place tomorrow itself, while he is likely to meet the Prime Minister on Sunday.

Sources said that among other issues, Sonowal is likely to take up the report on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord prepared by a Central-government-appointed committee.

The report was to be submitted to the Union Home Minister but due to unexplained delays, it was eventually submitted to the State government in February.

Two days back, Parliament was informed by the Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy that the State government was still examining the report, seven months after it was submitted to the Chief Minister in presence of almost his entire Cabinet.

Irked by the government�s �inaction�, the AASU had made public the report last month.

Sonowal is also likely to take up the issue of the closed HPCL paper mills with the Centre.

The State government has sought one month�s time from the National Company Law Tribunal � which has begun liquidation proceedings.

Revival package for the paper mills is unlikely as the Centre had shrugged off responsibility after no investors turned up to revive the mills. �However, a package to pay the salaries and other dues of the 1,200 employees could be the only take away from the final discussions, unless there is a miracle,� sources privy to the developments said.

If nothing happens within one month, the NCLT may issue the final liquidation order and the property may go under hammer.

With elections scheduled in the first half of the next year the BJP-led government is trying hard to ensure that there is no backlash at the fag-end of its term and as such it is making desperate attempts to cope with issues that could be used by the Opposition. Other such plaguing issues are also likely to figure in the discussions with the two Central leaders.

Issues related to the floods and erosion, which caused extensive damage this year, is also likely to be part of the discussions with the Home Minister and Prime Minister.

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