'There are more young people in Assam who are unemployed than possibly anywhere else.'
Even though the Congress was only able to win three of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, the party will celebrate its third year in power on June 1. Anurag Kashyap reports.
Saying that signals from ULFA leaders are encouraging, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has invited the outfit's top leaders -- said to be in Dhaka -- for talks.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has stated that backward state of Assam and the Northeast region as a while need more fund from the Centre instead of frequent visits of Union ministers, a new and unprecedented trend since Independence.
The main Opposition parties in Assam -- Asom Gana Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Party and All India United Democratic Front -- have come down heavily on the Congress government in Assam for presenting an 'election-oriented populist' interim budget for the year 2014-15.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, facing flak for his remark that there are no illegal migrants in the state, on Wednesday claimed that he was misquoted as he had only mentioned that as per voters list, there are no illegal migrants post 1971.
Gogoi renewed his appeal to the ULFA to agree to talks for the sake of lasting peace and economic growth of Assam.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday took strong exception to a comment made by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's on Prime Minster Dr Manmohan Singh.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi led the state in paying respect to Kalam at the Lokapriya Gopinath Borodoloi International Airport in Guwahati, calling Kalam's death an "irreparable loss" to the nation.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has advocated for improving connectivity through road, water, rail and air between Bangladesh and northeast India to bring the people of both countries closer.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday called upon Paresh Barua, the fugitive commander-in-chief of the anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom, to join the ongoing peace process with his colleagues in the militant outfit, led by 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa. Addressing the people of Assam on Independence Day in Guwahati, Gogoi said his government was sympathetic towards the misguided youth of the state in the ranks of various insurgent groups.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said that like all other insurgent groups in truce with the government, the banned United Liberation Front of Assam too would have to enter into a formal agreement for suspension of operation and surrender weapons before starting dialogue with the government of India.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday said the prime accused in the molestation case of a girl in Guwahati is in Bhubaneswar but has not been arrested so far.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has said that a probe will be instituted to find out facts regarding alleged involvement of foreign hands in the recent Assam violence.
Regarding the security arrangements for the forthcoming National Games to be held in the state, Gogoi exuded confidence to hold the event smoothly notwithstanding ULFA triggering blasts in the city in regular intervals of late.
Most chief ministers chose to miss a high-level conference, convened to thrash out challenging issues on public order and policing, with only seven state leaders attending it.
He has made known his concern over the continuing violence in Assam and Bihar.
The chief minister further said that the Unified Command required better cooperation from Arunachal Pradesh to flush out the militants holed up in the forests across the boundary.
After the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's decision to have state owned newspapers and TV channels, it is the turn of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to announce that his government would launch a TV channel of its own to highlight affairs in Assam positively as well as to counter "hyped-up news".
Warming up for his visit to Bangladesh in the company of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on September 6 and 7, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday showered praise on Bangladesh Prime Minister Seikh Hasina and her government for being very helpful in evicting militants leaders of the northeast, including those from the United Liberation Front of Asom and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, which has been instrumental in containing insurgency in the state of late
"There will be no let up in vigil against the banned ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) now onwards under any circumstances," vowed Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi
As Assam celebrated Rongali Bihu (spring festival) Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi took the opportunity to make a renewed appeal to armed insurgents groups still at large to come forward for dialogue with the government.
Even as the deadline set by agitating All Bodo Students' Union and All-Koch-Rajbongshi Students' Union for announcement of dates for tripartite talks by the Centre over their demand for separate state almost comes to an end, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi to apprise them of the situation back home.
After offering prayers at the Kamakhya temple, Gogoi was slated to visit other religious places in Guwahati including churches and masjids to seek divine blessings. If his party wins these elections, it will be three in a row for them. Gogoi claimed before the media that the Congress was sure to win for the third time in a row and will form the next government in the state
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday denied making any statement on making birth control mandatory but said he had only suggested a small family.
Set to retain power for the third consecutive term, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said bringing all insurgents groups, including the United Liberation Front of Asom, to the negotiating table would be his main priority to ensure lasting peace in the state
The Congress government in Assam and the opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party, are engaged in war of words over a purported visit of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to the troubled Assam-Nagaland boundary areas where situation is limping back to normalcy.
"We did not talk about the money being paid by Tarun Gogoi to ULFA in our stories. This was mentioned in some of the local papers."
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday renewed appeal to anti-talk ULFA leader Paresh Barua and others to abjure violence and sit across the table to solve their problems through democratic means.
Getting ready to fight the next assembly election in Assam in 2016 on the 'U-turns' on state issues made by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the Centre, the ruling Congress government in Assam has brought out a handbook for its party workers highlighting the 'failures' of the Narendra Modi government to fulfil promises made to people of the state.
The attack on the army convoy in Goalpara was the handiwork of the anti-talk faction of ULFA, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.
Assam government on Monday announced that the wives and children of arrested United Liberation Front of Asom leaders chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, foreign secretary Sasadhar Choudhury were under police security and would be released soon as there was no case registered against the spouses; although they were members of the women wing of the outfit.
With dissidence plaguing the Congress in Assam, All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Saturday scotched speculations of replacing Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and warned that indiscipline in the party would be dealt with strictly.
United Liberation Front of Assam had survived despite constant pressure from the security forces in the state because of their shelters in neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The chief magistrate's court in Kamrup district, Assam, has directed the Criminal Investigation Department of the Assam police to conduct a probe into the allegation levelled against Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and others for cutting and eating a cake painted in colours of the National Flag at a Republic Day tea party in January.
The Assam government has hailed the decision of the 'A' and 'C' companies of the 28 th battalion of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom to call a unilateral truce. The 28th battalion is considered the most potent force of the banned ULFA.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday called upon the fugitive commander in chief of the United Liberation Front of Asom Paresh Baruah to come out of the clutches of the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence and other forces inimical to India and hold talks with the government of India instead of engineering killings of innocent people in Assam.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday claimed that top leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom who are either in captivity or out on bail were willing to hold talks with the government and had sent "feelers" to him in this regard.