Dissident Assam MLAs complain against CM Gogoi

New Delhi: Fifteen dissident Congress MLAs from Assam have lodged complaints to the party leadership against the "style of functioning" of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi alleging that the state is now being run by officials and public representatives have no say in administration.

The MLAs, camping in Delhi for last one week, claimed that the number of legislators who are unhappy with the functioning of the Gogoi government is 40 that include ministers and Parliamentary secretaries. "We are unhappy with the style of functioning of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Despite our repeated complaints, he has not given any attention to our grievances that resulted people losing faith in us as well as in Congress party," said Abhayapuri South MLA Chandan Sarkar. Sarkar said till the second term of Gogoi government, the MLAs did not have problems in executing works but they have been facing difficulty since Gogoi came to power for the third time in 2011. "Now officers are running the show. The public representatives have no say in development works. Even some ministers are concentrating on development of their own constituency, completely ignoring constituencies of party MLAs," he said. Sarkar said they have met Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, senior leaders Mohsina Kidwai and are awaiting appointments with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He said the dissident MLAs would abide by any decision of the high command, including change of leadership of the government. Asked whom they wanted as leader of the Congress legislature party, Sarkar avoided a direct reply but said MLAs were happy with the performance of Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. PTI