Congress workers protest outside Guwahati hotel, ask rebel Maha MLAs to leave Assam

Guwahati, 24 June (IANS) A large number of Assam Congress workers staged a protest outside the Radisson Blu hotel on the outskirts of Guwahati on Friday where over 40 Maharashtra MLAs led by rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde are camping since Wednesday.

The protesting Congress workers accused the state's BJP government of indulging in horse-trading to topple the Maharashtra government.

Assam Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah, MLA Rakibul Hussain and Debabrata Saikia, the leader of opposition in Assam Assembly, led the protest in front of Radisson Blu.

In a strongly-worded letter to Shinde, which has been accessed by IANS, Borah said that the presence of Maharashtra MLAs in Guwahati, who have been kept in a hotel for alleged horse-trading to topple an elected government, and the continued media coverage of the same, has not gone down well with the Assamese people and is creating an unhealthy atmosphere.

Borah also asked Shinde and the other dissident MLAs to vacate the state at the earliest as the media coverage of their presence in the state is negatively impacting the Assamese people who are suffering from a devastating flood situation.

"Assam is facing a devastating flood situation and the people are suffering severely in the absence of adequate flood reliefs. Over 107 people have died since April 6, out of which 65 died since June 14, while 55 lakh people have been adversely affected. In such a critical and deplorable situation of the state, your presence in Guwahati and the busy activities of Assam government in providing royal hospitality to you is quite unfair and unacceptable," Borah wrote.

"Assam has been defamed by your presence considering Guwahati as a safe haven for MLAs who have no respect for constitutional values and loyalty at all," he added.

The Assam Congress chief said that the state has seen towering political personalities such as late Chief Ministers Gopinath Bordoloi and Tarun Gogoi. But present Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has proved himself to be nothing but a wheeler dealer encouraging and supporting political horse-trading in Assam, Bohra wrote.

"The BJP CM and the government's support to your presence here has sullied the image of Assam and Assamese people. Sarma and the government machinery should be busy with the management of the flood crisis, but your presence here is creating a hindrance," Bohra said.