Right to Information Bill on State Cong agenda : Gogoi

GUWAHATI, March 11: The Congress, if voted to power in Assam, will bring a Right to Information Bill to make the administration more transparent, said the president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, Tarun Gogoi. Talking to The Assam Tribune here today, Gogoi pointed out that such a Bill would expedite the process of development and check corruption to a great extent. He said that revamping the rural economy of the State would be one of the major aims of his party and the failure of the AGP-led Government to hold the Panchayat polls would be one of the main poll planks of the Congress. The APCC president said that the failure of the AGP-led Government to maintain law and order in the State and the secret killings would be some of the main poll issues for the Congress "The continuance of the Unified Command structure in the State proved that the law-and-order situation has not improved", he added. On the steps needed to be taken to tackle the problem of insurgency, Gogoi stressed the need for rapid economic development for the solution of majority of the problems confronting the State. He said that the Congress would approach the voters with an economic agenda. "I must admit that the Congress does not have a magic formula for the economic development of the State. But we have been organising seminars with prominent economists to draw up a plan to revive the economy of the State, which is vital for the solution of the problem of insurgancy", he added. On the allegations of one Congress-ULFA nexus, Gogoi said that till date the AGP-led Government had not been able to substantiate the allegations. He said that despite repeated demands by the Congress, the Government could not gather the courage to institute either a judicial or a CBI probe into the alleged politician-insurgent nexus. Even the Union Home Minister declared in Guwahati that the Centre did not have any evidence of the Congress-ULFA nexus, he pointed out. He further said "The Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta himself announced time and again that the ULFA did not have any public support. Why should we seek help from an outfit which did not have public support". The APCC president expressed apprehension that the ensuing Assembly polls would not be free and fair as the AGP might try to misuse the Government machinery. He said that they would submit a representation to the Election Commission soon to demand steps to ensure free and fair polls. Referring to the state government's demand to hold the polls in three phases, he said that it was an attempt by the ruling party to rig the polls, and demanded that the elections in Assam should be held in one phase. The APCC president said that corruption during the tenure of the present Government would also be one of the main poll planks for the Congress. Electoral prospects : Gogoi asserted that the Congress was confident of coming to power and said that the party would face the elections alone. However, he did not rule out the possibility of local-level understandings in some seats. "The people have realised that the AGP lacks commitment and sincerity and we have been urging the voters to compare the performance of the Congress and the AGP governments", he said. He also admitted that the anti-incumbency factor would help the Congress to a great extent. He said that the AGP's action of running for the help of the BJP exposed the weakness of the ruling party and now even the BJP had refused to enter into an alliance with the AGP. The newly formed Regional Democratic Alliance will also affect the prospects of the ruling party, he asserted. Commenting on the recent move of the Government to give fresh appointments, Gogoi said that it was merely an election stunt. However, such efforts would not help the ruling party as all those who fail to get jobs, would go against them, he pointed out. Referring to reports of serious controversies regarding the process of selection of party candidates, Gogoi said that such minior controversies were expected as over 700 persons have sought party tickets. He said that though the sitting MLAs would get preference, "we cannot say that all of them would get tickets". Giving a detailed account of the process of solution of candidates, he said that the block and district committees send their recommendations to the State Election Committee of the Congress, which, in turn, sends its recommendations to the Central Election Committee of the party for the final selections. He asserted that majority of the candidates would be selected on the basis of the recommendations of the block and district Congress committees. He also revealed that instead of organising big election rallies in major towns, his party would give emphasis on going closer to the electorate by organising village-level meetings. Foreigners issue : The common allegation against the Congress in Assam is that the party never raised its voice on the foreigners issue fearing that such actions would result in losing the traditional vote bank. However, the APCC president denied the allegations and said that his party never supported infiltration of foreigners. He said that in its election manifesto, the Congress would demand a comprehensive policy by the Union government to deal with the problem. He asserted that the Congress would extend its full support if local-level committees are formed to identify voters. "We are accused of favouring infiltration. But I opposed the Centre's proposal to issue work permit to foreigners as it would encourage more migration and ultimately the migrants would get voting rights one day. One should also remember the fact that after the signing of the Assam Accord, the AGP remained in power for ten years and the Congress ruled the State for five years. But the AGP failed to implement the Accord", he added. However, when asked whether the Congress would support the demand for repealing the IMDT Act, Gogoi did not give a clear-cut reply and only said that the foreigners should be identified through a judicial process.