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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Storm brews over land deal, big dam

Storm brews over land deal, big dam

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published Published on Sep 17, 2011   modified Modified on Sep 17, 2011

-The Telegraph

 

It was a stormy homecoming for chief minister Tarun Gogoi with members of the All Assam Students’ Union waving black flags and Opposition parties raising the pitch against the Indo-Bangla land-swap deal.

From the AASU to former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta to the All India United Democratic Front, everyone went after the three-time chief minister for having allegedly sold out the interests of Assam vis-à-vis the land deal as soon as he landed in Guwahati after a 13-day official trip during which he visited Bangladesh, Spain and Belgium.

All this while there had been widespread protests against the deal back home.

The day started with hundreds of AASU members assembling on both sides of NH37 in front of the main gate of Gauhati University to protest against the deal. As soon as Gogoi’s convoy left Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Borjhar here, AASU members waved black flags and shouting slogans against him and the land deal. They also criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Gogoi’s convoy passed safely through the university campus to his Koinadhara residence amidst heavy security around 12.50pm.

The wary district administration was fully prepared, deploying four companies of Assam Police and CRPF personnel to prevent any untoward incident. Senior officials were seen personally monitoring the situation.

Though the AASU supporters protested and shouted slogans, they did not block or disrupt the movement of Gogoi’s convoy. Samiran Baishya, an AASU member, said the organisation had staged a peaceful protest today and added that it was just the beginning of their agitation.

While AASU members were assembling at Gauhati University, former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta raised the pitch to make the land deal public, while the AIUDF sought a special Assembly session on the agreement with Dhaka.

Mahanta demanded that Gogoi should make the text of the land agreement public instead of launching anti-Opposition propaganda.

“The chief minister and the government representatives are making contradictory statements. While Gogoi, in his media conference, said the land had been handed over in accordance with the Indira-Mujib treaty, a government representative said India did not give away an inch of Assam land. Most of the disputed areas, including Boroibari in Assam and Pyrdiwah in Meghalaya, were under the administrative control of India and even the enclaves were under the administrative control of the BSF. But people of the state and the stakeholders are still in the dark about the text of the land-swap deal,” he told reporters.

On Gogoi’s invitation to him for joint border visits, he said, “Why did he not do so before signing the agreement? Had he done so before going to Dhaka, I am sure it would have reflected his faith in democracy. I have visited the border areas several times as a student leader, as the chief minister and while in the Opposition. I want to ask him how long will he take refuge behind the AGP’s name instead of confessing the truth?”

AIUDF general secretary Hafiz Bashir Ahmed Qasimi demanded a special Assembly session on the issue and termed Gogoi as an autocratic ruler who did not have any respect for democracy.

Qasimi, a legislator from Bilasipara (West), said the AIUDF would not tolerate handing over of a single plot of Assam land to Bangladesh.

Sources said soon after his arrival, a relaxed Gogoi cleared the appointment of cabinet ministers Pradyut Bordoloi, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rockybul Hussain and Nilamoni Sen Deka as government spokespersons, the absence of which had greatly hampered Dispur’s defence.

He also took stock of the Congress Legislature Party meeting, proposed to be convened on Monday, where he will formally brief PCC office-bearers and party’s district presidents on the land deal to counter Opposition propaganda, the sources added. “He appeared unfazed while attending office after his return and will appropriately respond to those undermining the deal which secures Assam’s long-term interests,” a close aide of Gogoi said.

But going by the day’s developments, the coming days might see a lot of fireworks — from both the pro and anti-land deal brigades.

The Telegraph, 18 September, 2011, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110918/jsp/frontpage/story_14521850.jsp


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