By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Oct 14: "It isn't Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, but Prime Minister rendra Modi is a great liar," said Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice president Ripun Bora today.
Addressing the press at Rajiv Bhavan in Guwahati today, Bora reacted sharply to the statement made yesterday by BJP's Assam in-charge Mahendra Singh, and said: "The people of Assam know what Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is. Singh has no connection to the land, air and water of Assam. We don't want any certificate from leaders like Mahendra Singh. We hope that the people of Assam will certify us in 2016 Assembly elections again."
Bora also said: "That Prime Minister rendra Modi is a liar is known all over the world, let alone India. While fighting the Assembly elections in Gujarat he did inform the Election Commission (EC) of India in his affidavit that he was unmarried. However, while fighting the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 he informed the EC that he was married. Despite marrying a woman in accordance with the Hindu marriage system, he did not give the woman the status of wife. This is known all over the world."
On the Prime Minister not fulfilling the assurances he had given to the people before the last Lok Sabha elections, Bora said: "Modi has taken a U-turn on as many as 180 assurances which he gave before the last Lok Sabha elections. He did say that all Bangladeshis would have to pack up after May 16, 2014, two crore employment opportunities would be created each year, prices would be checked, etc. However, after coming to power he conveniently forgot all those assurances, and this is known to all Indians. This is not all. He has stopped all Central benefits which Assam has been getting over the years. The worst is that he has stopped the 90:10 special funding pattern to Assam. This is unfortute."
When asked on the BJP about to form the NC Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) and the Governor calling all NCHAC members to Raj Bhavan, Bora said: "In the NCHAC elections it was the Congress that got the people's mandate by winning 19 seats in the 30-member House. Even if the BJP forms the NCHAC now, it's not people's mandate. It's like capturing power from the back door. We have nothing to say if the BJP forms the council now, but it's sure that we got the people's mandate. What's unfortute is that the BJP is trying to capture power with insurgent leaders against whom cases are pending with the NIA, CBI and Enforcement Directorate."
Meanwhile, Bora informed the media that former student leader Niren Deka is going to join the Congress with thousands of supporters tomorrow. Deka was former general secretary of the students' unions of Gauhati University and B Barooah College. "He will come to Rudra Singha Sports Complex, Dispur Last Gate from Jalukbari tomorrow with a bike rally comprising 2,000 riders via Chandmari and Ganeshguri. It was thought that Himanta Biswa Sarma is the one and only leader in Jalukbari, but it is not true. Leaders like Niren Deka are also there," he said.
Meanwhile, at the same press meet, senior APCC spokesperson Kishore Kumar Bhattacharjee asked suspended Congress MLA Pradan Baruah to tender a public apology for making a comment against APCC president Anjan Dutta. The MLA said yesterday that Dutta should be interrogated in connection with the death of a girl working in his house a few years back.
"This is sty politics. Politics should also have a standard of its own. If there's any FIR or case registered in any police station in the State in connection with the death of the girl, let the MLA make it public. And if he can't, he should tender a public apology," Bhattacharjee said.