‘AGP infighting ensured 2 terms for Congress’
Former chief minister and newly-appointed Leader of Opposition Prafulla Kumar Mahanta here on Saturday said that infighting within the rank and files of the party in past incurred a huge loss to the party which leaders have realised now. Asserting that the Congress took advantage of it and ruled the state for two consecutive terms, Mr Mahanta said that party leaders have recognised the past mistakes and given up all those differences to stand together.
Referring the overwhelming response to party’s mass-contact programme, two time chief minister and founder president of AGP Mr Mahanta said that people of the state has also accepted the concept of collective leadership.
He said, “If turn out of people in its public meeting was any indicator, entire state was churning for a change and AGP was the only political party which can give an alternative.”
Reiterating that people of the state are fed up with the rampant corruption and misuse of the Central government resources, Mr Mahnata said that basic difference between the Congress and AGP has been that they are claiming “freebies” as their achievement whereas AGP, within the available-limited resources, worked to strengthen the economy of every household.
Former chief minister who had been at the receiving end for taking a tough stand against outlawed organisations however admitted that in order to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the nation, some mistakes might have been committed by their government but it was unavoidable in that circumstances. “Now we have learnt the lesson and will ensure that Congress could not take advantage of such issues in future,” he said in an oblique reference to the alleged pro-militant policy of the Congress party in the state.
He also held the state government responsible for price-rise.
“They can not escape the responsibility by saying that price-rise has been a nation-wide phenomenon. The state government has failed in taking a single step to maintain the prices. The difference of price in between its origin and retail outlets in Assam is massive. PDS items are openly sold in the black-market,” he pointed out regretting that this government has not spared judiciary and tried to mislead the chief justice of India by submitting false reports for which they had to beg an apology. He also informed that AGP was preparing a roadmap for socio-economic and political development of the state.
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