Gogoi for action against Dey

GUWAHATI, April 26: Infighting in the State Congress camp has intensified and former Assam Agriculture Minister Ardhendu Kumar Dey is yet again in deep waters as Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has sent the video clippings of the recent Jhargaon conference, organized by some linguistic minority organizations of the State, to Santosh Mohan Dev, chairman of the party’s disciplinary action committee, for Dr Dey’s reported criticism on the functioning of the State Government, Congress sources told The Sentinel today.

It is reported that during the conference, Dr Dey vehemently criticized the State Government for its alleged inaction for the welfare of the linguistic minority community, especially those residing in the Brahmaputra valley. The meeting held on April 12 at Jhargaon under Jagiroad LAC, was attended among others by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhubaneswar Kalita and vice-president (senior) of the party Bishnuprasad.

"The Chief Minister is not happy with the manner in which his former ministerial colleague openly criticized his Government," sources said, adding that Dr Dey also expressed his displeasure over the recent move of a section of the ministers and the Congress MLAs to drag issues against the party MP FA Golam Osmani to the party high command. Dr Dey reportedly commented that the image of the party has suffereddue to the move.

"Being a senior leader of the party, Dey should place his grievances, if any, in the party forum and not in the meeting where members of four other organizations also took part," sources close to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.

Appreciating the move of the Chief Minister to send the video clippings of the meeting to Mr Santosh Mohan Dev, Dr Dey informed The Sentinel that now the party leadership can take the actual stock of the situation. Terming his grievances as genuine, the former Assam Minister alleged that about 40 lakh Bengali Hindus of Brahmaputra valley, which is double the number in comparison with the Barak valley, are deprived of their legitimate political and social rights.

"This may have an adverse effect in the poll prospects of the party. I had raised the demands made by the linguistic organizations and requested the APCC president to move the State Government in this regard," Dey said.

The major demands made by Dr Dey during the meeting were immediate formation of the proposed linguistic minority development board, solution to the ‘D’ voters issue, sufficient representation of the linguistic minorities living in Brahmaputra valley both in the State ministry and in the Assam Assembly.

It may be mentioned that during the meeting members of various organizations also demanded of the APCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita to allot at least 25 party tickets to the linguistic minority community in the forthcoming Assembly polls.