GUWAHATI, Dec 27— Sparks did not fly in the post Khumtai central executive committee meeting of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee today as leaders of the party showed maturity in sharing the blame for the defeat at the hands of AGP in the December 12 by-election to Khumtai LAC while the Chief Minister was made to promise that illegal check-gates in the State will be abolished within March next year. The marathon central executive meeting of the APCC which lasted for over four hours at Rajiv Bhawan here, had detail discussion on party’s defeat at Khumtai by-election and agreed that it had provided the party with an opportunity to do some hard thinking and work out an ‘effective’ future action plan for the party as well as the government.
However, the meeting which was attended by all the top State Congress leaders including Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, APCC chief Paban Singh Ghatowar and most of the party MPs including B K Handique, Madhab Rajbongshi, Golam Osmani, desisted for pinpointing the blame on any particular leader for the Khumtai debacle. The raging controversy over ‘syndicates and check-gates’ in the State also came up for discussion in the meeting at the initiative of the party President and other senior members. On recommendation of the APCC, the Chief Minister agreed to review the working of different kinds of syndicates and check-gates operating in the State. In response to suggestions made by the party leaders during the discussion, the Chief Minister promised necessary steps for abolishing ‘illegal check-gates’ within March, 2003.
The APCC meet took serious view of the allegations made against the party government by different quarters for ‘promoting syndicates and check-gates’ in the State. The opposition AGP used it as a main poll plank against the Congress during electioneering at Khumtai early this month. Addressing the meeting Ghatowar emphasised on strengthening the organisation at the grassroot level through increased coordination between the party, panchayat and the government. He also announced about the APCC’s plan to launch extensive membership drive.
The APCC today stood by the party government’s decision to forms Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) and assured protection to the non-Bodos living in the BTC area. The Chief Minister arrived at around 12 this noon to participate in the APCC executive which got off at 11-30 am. He attended the meeting till 2-30 in the afternoon. Besides discussing matters concerning the State and politics in the State, the APCC executive also expressed concern over emerging political situation in the country in the wake of BJP’s victory in Gujarat polls. The APCC termed the BJP’s victory at Gujarat as a victory of communalism over secularism and raised alarm that the BJP may try the Gujarat ‘experiment’ in other parts of the country. Assam being a communally sensitive state, the APCC observed that the party should remain vigilant against any communal mischief that may be engineered in the State.