IANS
GUWAHATI, NOVEMBER 9
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday appealed to the chief ministers of eastern states like Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and the northeastern states to come together on a common platform to pursue issues pertaining to the region.
At a press conference in Guwahati, Gogoi said he would take up the matter with all the chief ministers so that everyone can be brought on a joint platform for better development of the region.
“Eastern India is still underdeveloped. The states located in the eastern part of the country hardly get any importance at the national level and so it is important for all of us to take up the issues jointly to achieve the goals,” he said.
Gogoi attacked the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the centre and said it has done gross injustice to Assam after coming to power.
“They have withdrawn the special category status from Assam and other northeastern states, changed the funding pattern and deprived us of the dues we are supposed to get, leading to unemployment,” he said.
On the defeat of the NDA in the Bihar polls, Gogoi said the win of the JD-U led Grand Alliance was a victory of the people against divisive and communal forces.
“The victory of the Mahagathbandhan by Nitish ji, Lalu ji and the Congress in Bihar has proved that the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi is still relevant in India against the communal forces,” he said.
Gogoi also took a dig at the Hindutva ideology of the BJP and said: “Whatever tactics the BJP is going to resort to, they are not going to succeed unless they come out from the grip of the RSS. I am not sure if Modi ji has got the guts to come out of the Hindutva ideology.”
Asked if a ‘Mahagathbandhan’ will work in Assam, Gogoi said the Congress was going to the polls alone next year.
“However, the situation in Assam and Bihar are different and here we can have a ‘Maha Understanding’,” he said.
“We can campaign in a particular constituency by asking everyone to vote for any party but not for the BJP. Every party will tell voters to cast vote for anyone but not the BJP,” Gogoi said, explaining the term ‘Maha Understanding’.
