Hat trick for congress in Assam

The opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were wiped out with both parties yet to touch the double digit mark.

As the latest trends indicate, out of the 126 assembly seats, it was leading in about 70 having already won seven while it’s nearest rival AIUDF way behind leading in just 16 seats, Bodoland Peoples Front in 15 and Asom Gana Parishad in 11 seats.

A jubilant Chief Minister. Mr Tarun Gogoi, however, said even if Congress gets majority on its own, the alliance partner, the Bodoland Peoples Front, would continue to be part of the government as the party helped Congress in “difficult times.”

“We will continue our alliance with BPF as they had helped us in difficult times,”  Gogoi, who is set to become Chief Minister of the militancy-affected state for the third term, said.

The 75-year-old Gogoi, who had first become Chief Minister in 2001, said people of Assam voted for the Congress as the party provided good governance besides ensuring economic development across the state.

“Economic development won us vote. People have rewarded us for the good work,”  Gogoi, who had served as Union Minister from 1991 to 1995, said. Asked about various corruption charges against his government, he said there were no charges against any minister of his cabinet. “My government probably is the only government in the country which referred nine-ten corruption cases to the CBI,” he said.
He also identified “flood and erosion” as major challenges facing the state and said more attention will be paid to deal with the problem.

On the issue of influx of Bangladeshis through the porus border with Bangladesh, he admitted infiltration was a “problem” for the state but said the issue has been exaggerated by the opposition parties.”I took the initiative for increasing border outposts along the border (with Bangladesh). Lot of steps are being taken to check infiltration,” he said.

The CM also rued the “perception” outside the Northeast that Assam is a disturbed area.” Today Assam is a much peaceful state. But outside perception is that it is a disturbed area,” he said..

“In spite of propaganda by the opposition parties and some organisations such as the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), the people were not swayed but remained faithful to our commitment to them, Mr. Gogoi said.

Set to retain power for the third consecutive term, he said bringing all insurgents groups, including the ULFA, to the negotiating table would be his main priority to ensure lasting peace in the state.

Credited with bringing insurgent group United Liberation Front of Asom to the negotiating table and hauling Assam back from the brink of bankruptcy, he has combined administrative and political acumen with his simple demeanour to help Congress retain power for a record consecutive third term.
Behind the genial smile and a straight-forward approach of 75-year-old Gogoi, who has also served as a Union minister and six terms in Lok Sabha, lies a man who means business when it comes to development of Assam.

The highlight of Gogoi’s ten-year rule in the past was bringing several militant outfits of the state, including the ULFA, to the negotiating table and ensuring financial stability of the state government.
Gogoi had taken over the reins of power for the first time on May 17, 2001, from the Asom Gana Parishad and was faced with the challenge of bringing the state out of the morass of militant violence and financial instability characterised by a huge debt burden, so much so that even government employees were not receiving their salaries on time.