FM pitches for peace, growth
Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, who was roped in by the Congress specially to campaign in Bengali-speaking areas of the state, said here on Tuesday that peace and development are the two major issues on which his party is asking the electorate to renew their license to rule the state for a third consecutive term in Assam.
Pointing out that central aid to Assam has increased in the past two years, Mr Mukherjee expressed confidence that the Congress-BPF would be able to form the next government in the state. “We will seek vote on the twin planks of peace and development which our government has achieved in the last two terms,” Mr Mukherjee, who arrived here for electioneering in Barrak Valley, told reporters. He said that Assam was only second to Maharashtra in terms of overwhelming influence of Congress party since independence, and claimed that there have been remarkable change in the state in the back-to-back Congress regime here. The GDP has risen from 2.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent while the allocation for the state in the 13th Finance Commission had increased by a mammoth 137 per cent, he said.
Mr Mukherjee said that the people of Assam would not support the protest programmes being undertaken in the state by the Ulfa. He however said, “The peace process with Ulfa has not been 100 per cent successful. We, however, hope that our efforts for peace will yield results. I appeal to Ulfa commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah to come forward for peace talks with the government.”
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