GUWAHATI, July 7 ? The Ministers who have been dropped in the exercise to downsize the State Ministry would continue to enjoy the same status they used to prior to the exercise. Those who were Cabinet Ministers will continue to enjoy their previous status. They would be provided with the perks too if need be, said Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi here this morning at a press conference. He also hinted that some of the dropped Ministers would also be engaged in party activities.
The statement of the Chief Minister that the dropped Ministers would be enjoying their previous status with the perks depending on the situation is significant. It affirms to a great extent the popular apprehension that the ministry down sizing exercise in the State would be only a cosmetic one and it would not help in any way introduction of a fiscal discipline by reducing expenditure. It is worth mentioning here that 16 Ministers of the State have been dropped by Gogoi to meet the legal provision for downsizing the ministry.
Elaborating, the Chief Minister said that the 91st Constitutional Amendment to down size the ministry to 15 per cent of the total strength of the Assemblies had created problems for not only Assam but for all the States of the entire NE region. The region has a diverse population and hence there are diverse problems. Every area and section of the people wants representation in the ministries, he said.
The State Government has urged upon the Congress High Command and the advisory council on the issue to review the legal provision. The appeal is for making the size of the ministries a little bigger with the provision for induction of 20 per cent of the members of the Assembly in the ministries, he said. This is needed to satisfy all sections of the people, he explained.
In his letter to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Gogoi stated that because of the peculiar geographical and ethno-cultural diversity it had Assam needed a special treatment in this connection. ?? in order to ensure adequate community wise and region wise partnerships in the process of administration in States like Assam, the size of the Council of Ministers may be allowed to be increased from 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the total number of members of the State Legislative Assembly,? Gogoi said in his July 6 letter to the Prime Minister.
However, he defended the selection of the members of his council of ministers by saying that it was the decision of the Congress High Command and a committee of the All India Congress Committee (AICC). The committee had Motilal Vohra, Ambika Soni, Ahmed Patel and Digvijay Singh as its members, he said.
On the eligibility criterion, he said that he had nothing against any of the dropped Ministers. ?Everybody is capable,? he said referring to the dropped Ministers, maintaining that the downsizing exercise was done under compulsion. On the allegation that some tainted Ministers were retained in his new ministry, he claimed that none of his present ministerial colleagues was charge sheeted nor there was any case proved prima facie against any of them.