|
|
From
the States |
Situation in Assam Alarming : Naidu
Our
Correspondent
Former
BJP President Shri M. Venkiah Naidu on March 11, 2005 said that the
Congress government in Assam had lost every moral right to continue
in power as the State was passing through a serious situation. He
said the BJP would raise the issue in Parliament. He charged the state
government with having flouted all democratic norms and snatched the
fundamental rights of the people to protest by creating an emergency-like
situation. "This is the beginning of the end of the present corrupt
and unpopular Congress government", he added.
Putting the Congress leadership in the dock he said, "The Congress leaders right from Sonia Gandhi to Tarun Gogoi have no faith in democracy". He also raised the issue of illegal immigration in the State and said, "The state government has adopted a policy of appeasement towards a certain community."
Earlier, Assam unit of Bharatiya Janata Party led by former BJP President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu took to the streets of Guwahati and marched towards Dispur in protest against the misrule of Tarun Gogoi led Congress government. BJP had given a call for Dispur Gherao and it successfully blocked all entrances to the State capital, Dispur for more than two hours. The police arrested former BJP president Shri Venkaiah Naidu, MP, BJYM president Dharmendra Pradhan MP and several other prominent leaders and released them later.
Gogoi government pulled out all stops to prevent the protesters from entering the city and joining the rally. The Gogoi government used all repressive measures to thwart the march. Assam Police fired about ten rounds of tear gas shells, resorted to lathi-charge and used water cannons to disperse the protesters yet the enthusiastic BJP supporters and activists stormed into the city breaking all barriers. More than 100 protesters sustained injuries because of the police action. Assam BJP Legislature Party Leader Bimalanghsu Roy, BJYM state unit president Jayanta Das and BJP Legal Cell Convener RP Sharma also received injuries at the hands of police.
The BJP activists overcame several barriers before they could reach Assam Assembly House where the final barrier had been erected by the local administration. When the protestors tried to overcome it the police fired tear gas shells and brutally lathi-charged the BJP activists. Still protesters continued to shout anti-government slogans and tried to surge ahead.
Earlier, BJP workers took out as many as five big and thirty small processions at eight different points in the city. Shri Naidu led the procession from the State BJP office along with State BJP President Indramani Bora and more than five thousand party workers. They were detained by the police in a make shift jail near the State Secretariat building.
Addressing BJP workers before courting arrest Shri Naidu charged that the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government had brazenly violated all democratic rights of the citizens and condemned the highhandedness of administration.
The procession led by former union minister Smt. Bijoya Chakraborty was successful in overcoming all barriers before the police fired tear gas shells. Smt Chakraborty described Dispur Gherao a grand success.
The success of three-hour Gherao made Tarun Gogoi squirm in his seat as the BJP wokers overwhelmed the State administration with their conviction and commitment.
Later in the day, an 18-member delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party led by the State President Shri Indramani Bora met the Assam Governor Shri Ajay Singh and presented a 14-point charge-sheet against the Gogoi government highlighting its misrule and failure. Shri Naidu and Dharmendra Pradhan also joined the State delegation.
The grand success of Dispur Gherao has given clear indication that the Tarun Gogoi led Congress government is becoming immensely unpopular and in the next assembly elections it is not going to be easy for the Congress to ignore the BJP as it is gaining strength and momentum to throw the Gogoi government out of power.