Politics of Threat

A Disgusting Display of Lust for Power

On May 16, when it became clear that the Congress had suffered its worst defeat in the recent Lok Sabha elections in Assam, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi received a standing ovation from the distinguished panelists present on Arnab Goswami’s TV programme covering the election results when he declared that he took full responsibility for the debacle and would resign. Unlike Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who instead of handing over his resignation to the Governor, has been frantically shuttling between Dispur and Delhi trying to save his chair. Unfortunately both factions are quite unconcerned about the fact that as they squabble over power the State is suffering due to a lack of governance.

Assam

In 1969, the Indian National Congress (INC) split because of dissents. Indira Gandhi supported by the young turks opposed the Congress syndicate represented by Kamraj, Morarji Desai and Nijalingappa over differences in government policy. Indira Gandhi and her supporters wanted a socialist agenda. While the old guards wanted a rightist policy.
The Assam Pradesh Congress (APC) has been plagued by dissidence for two years now. The rift is not because of ideology or policy. It is over the chief ministership. Not only is Tarun Gogoi a long time loyalist of the Nehru-Gandhi family, but more significantly he is responsible for reviving the fortunes of the Congress party in Assam. And since he took over the reins of the State unit in 2001, barring the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party has won every election from the panchayat to the parliament. This is an enviable record. But in the age of perform or perish the past cannot secure the future.
Every year the intensity of floods and erosion is increasing, not even sparing the premier city of Guwahati. Hundreds of rhinos have been slaughtered. Medical care is still out of reach of the common man as there are no doctors, medicines or proper equipment in the primary health centres and government hospitals. Unemployment is on the rise and there is no accountability of funds worth thousands of crores allocated for development works.
However Assam cannot continue to be held to ransom because of dissidence in the Congress. If the current crisis in the APC is not immediately resolved then the Governor must fulfill his constitutional duty and ask the government to prove its majority on the floor of the house.

—Pranjit Agarwala from Guwahati