Rajnath Singh negated constitutional provisions with visit to Indo-Bangladesh border: Tarun Gogoi

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi termed Union Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Indo-Bangla international border without taking the State Government into confidence is tantamount to negating the constitutional provisions where law and order is a State Subject

Singh on Sunday visited Karimganj sector of Indo-Bangladesh along with All Assam Students Union (AASU) leaders and BJP leaders. On Monday he will visit Dhubri sector.

Gogoi in a statement said, “We welcome Union Home Minister’s border visit; however not taking Assam Government’s representative along with him despite State Government’s request is a violation to the spirit of cooperative federalism and NDA Government’s much vaunted rhetoric of Team India”.

Gogoi said that State Government has important role in safeguarding border and hence Assam Government should have taken into confidence for making the border visit more meaningful, adding that Gogoi said, “Never before in my long political career is State Government ignored like this”.

Gogoi said that the action of the Union Home Minister is tantamount to negating the constitutional provisions where law and order is a State Subject. Request has also been made from the State Government to accommodate Inspector General(Special Branch) HC Nath as a State Government representative. However, the request was turned down citing space constraint as the reason. However, in addition to the name of 13 persons mentioned in the manifest, Himanta Biswa Sharma and Mahendra Singh were accommodated for the border visit.”

Gogoi said, “Taking political leader ignoring Government officials to solve a problem where State’s interest is involved will not go down well which also exposes partisan attitude of none other than the Union Home Minister”.

Gogoi also said, “Everybody knows law and order is a state subject and Assam Government is extending full cooperation to the Central Security Agency in guarding the international border along with checking infiltration”.