Gogoi lambasts opposition over protest against land deal

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today alleged that opposition political parties and some organisations have launched a “misinformation campaign” on the issue of the recent land swap deal with Bangladesh. “The ongoing protests by opposition parties, particularly AGP and BJP, along with the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) is politically motivated”, Gogoi told a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting in Guwahati.[caption id=“attachment_87269” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Image courtesy PIB”]  [/caption] The protests and agitations against the land deal was a ploy to divert the attention of people from the pro-development work taken by the ruling Congress in the state, he asserted. “The land deal with Bangladesh is a historic one and will go a long way in checking infiltration. Assam has gained tremendously from the deal and I urge those protesting to come with me to the border and find out for themselves”, he said. Assam, he said, has gained 1,230 acres of land from Bangladesh whereas it has given up 665 acres of land which was never “in our control”. “The AGP came to power after the signing of the historic Assam Accord but what did they do to develop the area? Did they build roads, set up schools or hospitals in the area, post any officer in the areas or can the opposition leaders give me the voters list of the area handed over to Bangladesh?” Gogoi asked. The chief minister claimed that the Congress does not do politics like the opposition parties and have no double standards where development is concerned. Launching a frontal attack on former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, the chief minister alleged that he (Mahanta) was chief minister of the state twice but did nothing for the development of those areas. The AGP wants to keep the issue of infiltration alive and even after heading the government twice, Mahanta took no steps to ensure border fencing, setting up of border outposts, floodlights and strengthening of riverine police, Gogoi said. “We have ensured fencing along the international border and are taking the necessary measures to resolve the issue of infiltration. Mahanta may not need the land but I need it to strengthen border management”, he claimed. On a lighter note, the chief minister said both AGP and Mahanta were frustrated as they were out of power for the last 10 years. Urging the Congress legislators to go to their respective constituencies to remove misconceptions, if any, from the minds of the people, the chief minister said that a special session of the assembly would be held after the Durga Puja to discuss the issue. “Our main focus is to remove poverty from the state by bringing in development and providing employment to the youth by ensuring their skill development”, he said. The progress of the rural economy was of utmost importance and for this the agricultural sector must be developed for which the agriculturists must be provided with the necessary inputs, including power, Gogoi said. Coming down heavily on the anti-mega dam protestors, the chief minister said, “we need power for development and for this big dams will have to be set up. The Lower Subansiri Dam Project may have certain drawbacks but we have to find ways to rectify it. There is a medicine for every disease”. PTI