Gourav urges party workers to unite to fight against Himanta

way2barak, March 5: Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi urged party leaders and workers to unite to take on CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP’s “arrogance” and “corruption”, as the Congress’s first list of 42 candidates triggered a fresh political row over alleged nepotism.

The list, released on Tuesday, includes six sons of senior Congress leaders, including sons of three former chief ministers — prompting Sarma to label it a “list of successors”. Congress leaders countered that the selections balance experienced faces with younger candidates for what they described as a decisive contest against the BJP.

Gogoi, responding to criticism and seeking to prevent internal dissent, said the list was on expected lines and appealed to those excluded to stay with the party. “Today, we all in the Congress must unite and those who, for some reasons, could not get a ticket, for them my message is that you all are fighters of Congress. Party leadership has requested you all to wait for a while (for tickets),” he said. He added, “This fight in the coming days is against CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, against BJP’s arrogance and corruption, and to build new Bor Asom (greater Assam).”