Politics / Assam

GUWAHATI, March 24: With Assembly polls in Assam round the corner a clear picture of the political alignments is yet to emerge and the major parties are still holding discussions to come into understanding with smaller groups. Mentionably, West Bengal, the process of announcement of the names of the candidates is on and the ruling Left Front has already announced the names of its candidates, while in Assam, the partners of the ruling alliance are not sure whether to stick together or not. The Communist Party of India (CPI) is yet to announce its decision on whether to stay with the present...

GUWAHATI, March 24: The State unit of the Congress has decided to project its president and the sitting Lok Sabha MP, Tarun Gogoi as the Chief Ministerial candidate in the run-up to the Assembly election in the State. Replying to a query from the newsmen during a press conference this morning, the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), Silvius Condpan said the Assam Pradesh Congress president, Gogoi would be the next Chief Minister if the party was voted to power in the forthcoming Assembly election. Earlier, addressing the press meet, the APCC president disclosed that the Congress...

NEW DELHI, March 22: Peeved at the ruling Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Government for betraying the cause of the minorities, the All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) hinted at the possibility of opposing the regional party in the forthcoming Assembly polls. The AAMSU led by Samsul Hoque, its president, is believed to be among the strongest of the minority students bodies in the State and has a considerable sway among the community in the Brahmaputra valley. However, the students' organisation is nursing a grouse against the regional party for not keeping its word regarding the welfare of the...

GUWAHATI, March 23: The Special Court here remanded today two persons accused and arrested by the CBI in connection with a multi-crore palmolein oil scam, to two days' police custody for interrogation and directed the CBI to produce them before the court on Monday next. Producing the two arrested accused Ajay Kumar Nawka, son of Late Satya Narayan Nawka of Saniram Bora Road, Ulubari in the city, and Dilip Medhi son of Late Ananda Medhi of MB Road, Fatasil in the city, Public Prosecutor for the CBI MV Ramanaiah pleaded before the Special Court for their remand to police custody for a period of...

GUWAHATI, March 22: After lying low for sometime, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) seems to be regrouping again with the ensuing polls in mind. According to intelligence reports, a group of about 40 to 50 hardcore members of the outfit, headed by senior leader Drishti Rajkhowa have already come down from their camps in Bhutan, highly placed police sources said. Police said that according to information available, one group has taken shelter in the Goalpara-Meghalaya bordering areas, and five members of that group were killed in a recent encounter with the Meghalaya police. Another...

NEW DELHI, March 22: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today summoned Assam Government officials to Delhi to join the ongoing negotiations to resolve the Bodo tangle. The state government officials are expected to present the Assam Government views on the issue, when they join the talks in the next couple of days. The Assam Government was contacted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) this afternoon, following narrowing down of differences between the Union government and the Bodo leadership. Accordingly, two senior officials of the state government including the Commissioner, Tribal Affairs...

NEW DELHI, March 22: The Union Home Ministry (MHA) has decided to implement the Assam Governor, Lt General (retd) SK Sinha's recommendation on checking illegal infiltration from across the border, and has asked the Assam Government to take appropriate actions on points concerning them. This was disclosed by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, I D Swami in reply to a question by B P Apte at the Rajya Sabha. The Minister acknowledging that the Assam Governor had submitted a report on illegal immigration to the President of India, said the relevant portions concerning the state...

GUWAHATI, March 21: The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), M S Gill has issued instruction to the State Administration and the Police to keep all the surrendered militants under strict control during the election process, particularly on the day of the polls. He has also warned that the District Magistrates and the Police would be held responsible if anything goes wrong. Addressing a press conference here today, Gill said that the Election Commission has also issued instruction to confiscate all illegal weapons and take action against all the undesirable elements to ensure free and fair polls...

NEW DELHI, March 21: Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta today managed to buy himself some time in the civil suit relating to the multi-crore Letter of Credit (LoC) scam, with the Supreme Court adjourning the hearing of the case till July. The final hearing of the suit filed by Nabin Kalita was deferred on the plea of the Assam Government counsel who wanted the case to be heard after the State Assembly elections scheduled for next month. "It was pointed that elections are to be held next month in the State and at this the case should not be heard," Assam Government's senior counsel, Vijay...

GUWAHATI, March 20: Perhaps protection of human rights is not at all an issue that gets a priority in the scheme of things of the state government. Or else, there is no plausible answer to the question as to why the post of the Chairperson in the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has remained vacant for about one year now, or why the AHRC has been functioning with two posts of member lying vacant since February, 1997. The flaw in the Government's attitude can be best understood if one compares the state of affairs concerning the AHRC here with those of the State HRCs in other parts of the...