He also said the defection of former
health and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to the BJP will help
the Congress win next year’s assembly elections.
“Yes, I am ready to be chief minister for a fourth time,” he asserted at a media briefing here.
His statement comes after he dismissed
speculation that his son and LokSabha member Gaurav Gogoi would be
projected as the Congress’s chief ministerial candidate saying the
latter did not have the experience for the post.
He said his one time blue-eyed boy
Sarma’s defection to the BJP would help the Congress win the elections
to the 126-member assembly expected to be held in March-April next year.
After having resigned as state education
and health minister in July last year, Sarma quit the Congress and
joined the BJP in August this year.
“Himanta is a home-breaker. He tried to break our (Congress’s) home and now he will break BJP’s home,” Gogoi said.
According to him, Sarma was, at one point of time, willing to be deputy chief minister under him.
“Later, he started saying he should be made chief minister instead of me,” he said.
Asked if the Congress would have a pre-poll alliance in the state, he the party planned to fight the elections alone.
On speculation about discussions between
the Congress and regional party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), he conceded
that talks were going on.
“But it is for them (AGP) to decide. I have neither said yes nor no,” he said.
Gogoi, who on Wednesday submitted a
memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a series of demands,
including release of funds due from the Centre and continuation of
special category status for Assam, said he also complained about
Governor P.B. Acharya.
“I told the prime minister that the governor is interfering in the state’s affairs,” he said.
Acharya, who is the Nagaland governor, has been given additional charge of Assam till the appointment of a full-time governor.
“It has been one year and no governor has been appointed yet,” Gogoi said.
The Assam chief minister also commented
on the controversy created by Arunachal Pradesh Governor J.P. Rajkhowa
by calling an assembly session earlier than scheduled without consulting
Chief Minister Nabam Tuki or the council of ministers.
“They (the BJP) are using governors as
political agents. They failed in Assam and now they are trying this in
Arunachal Pradesh,” he said.
Source : IndianMediaBook - Current Affairs
