Guwahati: A dissident minister in Assam government Siddeque Ahmed on Monday demanded the removal of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi`s for "failing" to stop recurrent violence in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts.
"The Chief minister has completely failed in maintaining law and order. Why are such incidents happening repeatedly in BTAD? I have said earlier also and now again demanding that he should be removed immediately," Ahmed, the Co-operation and Border Areas Development Minister, said.
"It is really surprising that the CM is not allowing anyone, including ministers, to go to the affected places. He does not want the truth to come out. I really doubt that something is going on there," Ahmed alleged after he was from visiting the areas because of curfew.
Ahmed had also tried to visit the areas yesterday, but could not go as the Baksa district administration did not give permission.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, "When the Gujarat riots took place, Modi did not even stop the opposition from visiting the riot-affected areas. But being a minister, I am unable to go to the disturbed areas."
Gogoi and Ahmed have been at loggerheads in recent days with the Chief Minister last week warning him of "strong action" for "questioning the party high command".
Ahmed had said that some dissident MLAs might boycott the Budget session of the Assembly next month, while some MLAs were contemplating to hold a `dharna` in front of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi`s residence in New Delhi to demand Gogoi`s ouster.
The dissident MLAs, claimed to be around 55 in number among the 77 Congress legislators in the Assembly of 126 members, have proposed the name of Education and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as a replacement for Gogoi.
