Withdrawal of Raj Bhawan’s containment zone status gross violation of Covid norms — Tarun Gogoi

Guwahati, July 25 (PTI): Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday alleged that the sudden withdrawal of Raj Bhawan’s containment zone status by the state government tantamounted to gross violation of Covid-19 protocols.

Gogoi, in a statement, also claimed that the 77-year- old governor violated the protocols, too, by visiting the flood-affected areas in the state.

“The governor is the constitutional head of the state and instead of setting an example to fellow citizens, he himself visited different flood-affected areas of Assam in violation of protocol, and thereby, doing great disservice to the state,” he said.

The Raj Bhawan was declared a containment zone as 73 people, including officers and staff there tested positive for Covid-19, he said.

“If a responsible person like the governor, the constitutional head, does not follow the rules and regulation, how can we expect a common man to be a law-abiding citizen,” Gogoi said.

All protocols like hand washing, wearing masks, social distancing, confinement of people in containment and affected areas must be strictly observed to contain the pandemic, the former CM said.

Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi’s presence at the funeral of a religious leader recently at Dhing was criticised by many BJP leaders, but they are now “conspicuously silent about the governors visit, which has broken all norms,” he said.

“The state government’s failure in the strict implementation of Covid-19 protocols has led to the alarming rise in positive cases,” Gogoi added. The entire Raj Bhawan campus was declared a containment zone on July 4. Governor Jagadish Mukhi and his wife Prem Mukhi subsequently tested negative.