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Firmly in party’s good books, Tarun Gogoi to stay

The over month-long unrest and subsequent lawlessness in parts of Assam notwithstanding, the Congress is said to be in no mood to axe chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

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The over month-long unrest and subsequent lawlessness in parts of Assam notwithstanding, the Congress is said to be in no mood to axe chief minister Tarun Gogoi. His party insiders claim Gogoi continues to be in the good book of the high command even after his glaring failure in containing the ongoing violence. The reason is simple – the Congress does not have an alternative.

Few will, perhaps, dispute Gogoi’s acceptability both within the party and people at large. Arguably, no other politician, cutting across political lines, enjoys the support of people as much as Gogoi does.

Wary of an internal power struggle, the high command is understood to have not given a thought to remove Gogoi. He will continue unless he himself decides to resign. “Unless Gogoi himself resigns, it won’t be easy to oust him given the popular support he enjoys,” a Congress leader told DNA.

Gogoi first donned the mantle of chief minister in 2001 when the state’s economy as well as the law and order situation was precarious. Assam progressed considerably on all fronts in the last 11 years under Gogoi’s stewardship, making him an undisputed leader.

Three recent incidents – the mob attack on a party’s woman legislator, the molestation of a girl in Guwahati and the latest ethnic riots — may have embarrassed Gogoi like never before but it is perceived that he will come out successfully sooner than later. One sniffs a political conspiracy vis-à-vis an internal power struggle in the incidents. Gogoi himself did not rule out that given the manner in which the incident of molestation was highlighted by a section of the media.

“Gogoi himself has publicly spoken about the conspiracy. He said some forces are working against him. Not just the chief minister, even many in party circles suspect the hand of these forces in the incidents,” the Congress leader said.

Gogoi recently said MP and leader of Assam’s principal opposition party All India United Democratic Front, Badruddin Ajmal, colluded with “one of his Congress friends” to oust him. The friend in question is not known but what can be said with certainty is that the relationship between Gogoi and his senior cabinet colleague Himanta Biswa Sarma has been on a rollercoaster for some time now. Sarma, arguably the most performing minister in the whole of northeast, had a few days back written to the chief minister seeking his permission to resign from the cabinet. Sarma has not been attending his office ever since then.

Gogoi is so miffed with Sarma that he gets angry every time he is asked about the minister by journalists.

According to party sources, Gogoi has left it to the high command to take a call on Sarma’s offer to quit. Sarma, in turn, has been camping in Delhi, and he reportedly had a meeting with Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh who looks after the affairs of Assam.

Gogoi and his party sit pretty with 78 members in a house of 126. The Congress will not have any trouble even if its ally, Bodoland People’s Front (12 MLAs), withdraws its support. A BPF MLA was arrested on Wednesday night for his alleged involvement in the ethnic riots and the party is now weighing all options including severing ties.

It is most unlikely that Gogoi will resign but the question is who after Gogoi. The best choice, perhaps, would have been Sarma had he not gone on a collision course with the chief minister. Union minister Gulam Nabi Azad believes Sarma is the best health minister in the country. The party command is also grooming Sarma as evident from his appointment of observer in the last assembly elections in Manipur where the Congress did wonders.

“If Gogoi resigns, he has to be taken into confidence for selection of the CM candidate,” a Congress insider told DNA. He said now that Sarma is cornered, the contenders would be Rajya Sabha MP and state Congress president Bhubaneswar Kalita and Bihar governor Debananda Konwar.

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