Corruption Cong's main poll plank

NEW DELHI, April 11: The Assam Congress party is all set to make corruption its central plank in the forthcoming Assembly election by high-lighting the Tehelka tapes and corruption charges against the AGP government to attack the AGP-BJP alliance. "By joining hands with the AGP, BJP has made its intentions very clear to the people of Assam that it wants to perpetuate the destructive and loot raj of Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta at any cost, alleged the APCC president, Tarun Gogoi at a press conference at the AICC head office here today. AICC general secretary in charge for Northeast, Kamal Nath charged that Mahanta by aligning with the BJP has not only ensured a ministerial berth for his wife in Vajpayee's counsel of Ministers, but also a guarantee against prosecution in the LoC scam. "The Chief Minister wants to be a part of the power circle at any cost, for which with the alliance has bargained for a ministerial berth for his wife, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, since he knows well that he will not able to make it in the next election," he added. This is a panic alliance and the Congress welcomes it for the spectacle it would put up before the country, he said pointing to the reports of unrest among the AGP and the BJP workers. Leaving no one in doubt that the corruption is back in the centre stage for the Congress party in Assam, the general secretary described the alliance as an collaboration between the scam trained AGP and Tehelka stained BJP. Replying to a question about his party's links with the outlawed ULFA, Tarun Gogoi asserted that it is they who have been demanding a CBI and a judicial probe, but the state government has not reacted. In any case, no less than a person like the Union Home Minister, L K Advani has said there is no proof to sustain the charge, he pointed out. The Congress leaders were for instance in pains to deny reports that Mani Kumar Subba has cornered a large chunk of nominations. "I am not aware about it as I did not attend the State Election Committee meeting. But I have been told Subba has not attended the meeting as well," Kamal Nath asserted.