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Guwahati, May 31: The ruling Congress in Assam is coming out with a no-shooting-mouth-off-in-public advisory for its leaders to save the government and party the blushes.
Cabinet minister and government spokesperson Nilamoni Sen Deka has been entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the advisory, which is to be issued in the next couple of days. Deka happens to be an Assam PCC general secretary.
Party insiders said though such advisories existed in one form or the other, chief minister Tarun Gogoi and the PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita wanted to remind elected party members as well as party leaders to maintain discipline by not saying or commenting on anything that might embarrass the party.
The move has been ostensibly prompted by the apparent embarrassment caused by the criticism of power and industry minister Pradyut Bordoloi before the media as a “non-performing” minister by Assam Pradesh Youth Congress president and Raha MLA Pijush Hazarika and state NSUI president Partha Pratim Bora. Bordoloi had moved the Assam PCC, AICC and the chief minister seeking action against Hazarika.
Deka told The Telegraph that the advisory would basically deal with keeping intra-party issues in-house. “If anybody has any issue with any MLA or minister, he or she has to apprise the chief minister and if it involves party members or leaders, one should approach the PCC president. Partymen will also be asked not to criticise government schemes and policies in public,” he said without touching on the Pijush issue.
The move follows the PCC’s showcause to Hazarika to explain his side of the story within 15 days, which have already lapsed.
Sailen Bora, PCC general secretary in-charge of the APYC, said Hazarika would be giving his response within the “next three-four days”.
Sources said the ruling party is organising the conclave for its spokespersons to prepare them on how to deal with the media on “tricky and sensitive” issues.
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