Gogoi on backfoot, move to induct son annoys partymen

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi's move to induct his son in the Congress appears to have ruffled many feathers within his party.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi's move to induct his son in the Congress appears to have ruffled many feathers within his party.

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Several senior leaders, including Gogoi's one-time close confidante and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, have raised a banner of revolt against the chief minister.

Gogoi is already under fire over his handling of the recent violence that has claimed more than 75 lives and rendered thousands homeless.

Political observers say Sarma's equations with Gogoi changed after the chief minister's son Gaurav joined the Congress last month as he apprehended that the move could alter the succession plan in Assam.

Sarma was widely believed to take over the baton from Gogoi in future.

The war has now come out in the open.

Despite Gogoi's instruction to Sarma to camp in Kokrajhar and monitor the situation, the health minister chose to take a flight to Delhi. Sarma had apparently claimed that he was in Delhi to meet the party high command.

The move had angered Gogoi who, it is learnt, expressed his displeasure for calling his colleagues to the national capital at a time when the state was facing crisis.

Later, Sarma had to rush to the Bodo Territorial Areas District (BTAD) to monitor the relief and rehabilitation work.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that Sarma had put in his papers on Tuesday.

But to add to Gogoi's woes, All India United Democratic Front chief Badruddin Ajmal reportedly joined hands with his detractors to see his exit.

Ajmal also met Congress president Sonia Gandhi recently and demanded Gogoi's removal, alleging that the members of the minority community are not at all safe in his government.

But Gogoi, who is credited with the Congress party's three consecutive wins in the assembly elections, appears to have earned a reprieve for the time being.

During Gandhi recent visit to Assam, sources said she reposed complete trust in his leadership but with a caveat that he has to immediately check violence and launch sustained efforts to ensure long-term peace in the state.