NEW DELHI, Aug 24 ? On a mission to thwart any anti-Gogoi move, party high command?s cold response has left the State Congress MLAs confused and angry. It has not been a happy experience for these MLAs as the AICC high command has rebuffed them. AICC president Sonia Gandhi is yet to grant them an audience.
Meanwhile, the pro-Gogoi faction met CWC member and in-charge for Assam, Digvijay Singh, besides Motilal Vohra and Ahmed Patil and submitted a memorandum with the contention that those claiming to be the seniormost Congressmen were in fact new entrants who joined the party in 1990. They strongly backed the CM. Singh, however, asked them to head back home and wait for his arrival later this week.
The only solace, he was equally blunt to the rival faction of Sarat Borkotoky, Devananda Konwar and Dr Ardhendu Dey, when they met him last evening. The group is again scheduled to meet him this evening to ?discuss party affairs,? but were not much hopeful. The former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh is leaving for Guwahati to participate in the general body meeting of the APCC on August 27. He is also scheduled to attend a CLP meeting, coordination committee meeting besides listening to grouses of his partymen.
Nonetheless, the rival group has been emboldened by constitution of the State Coordination Committee that includes both Sri Borkotoky and Dr Dey besides, the Chief Minister, APCC president, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Rajya Sabha member, Anowara Taimur among others. The Committee was cleared by the AICC recently. The trio has cleverly refrained from directly targeting the Chief Minister and have instead pressed for removal of the tainted Ministers from the ministry. The group is also disappointed as attempts to garner support in the AICC have few takers.
Meanwhile, trouble was brewing in other group, as faced with criticism, a section of MLAs have raised questions about the whole exercise. Questions were raised after words reached them that the junket has drawn flak in media. A group of about 20 MLAs were brought to Delhi by air and hosted in the posh Ashoka Hotel. Reports that they were drawing bills in lakhs wining and dining at a time, when the State was passing through a severe crisis in the aftermath of devastating floods landed them in an embarrassing position.