Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, RTI activist Akhil Gogoi and AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary. File pictures

April 6: The ruling Congress today turned the heat on the AGP with health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma warning its president Chandra Mohan Patowary that the party will not spare anyone if any Congressman is attacked in Dharmapur before the next phase of Assembly elections on April 11.

Sarma also took on Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader Akhil Gogoi, who targeted him on corruption charges in the run-up to the first polls.

The development assumes importance because the AGP will be posing a tough challenge to the ruling party in the second phase, which will see polls to 64 constituencies.

The AGP appears to be on a strong pitch in Nagaon, Nalbari, Kamrup and Goalpara. Patowary is the sitting MLA from Dharmapur.

Secondly, the targeting of Akhil, who has openly campaigned against the Congress, is also not without reason.

While the Congress was virtually silent against him in the first phase fearing adverse reactions from the voters in districts such as Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Dibrugarh. The people of these districts were apparently influenced by the KMSS’s opposition to big dams and corruption. Akhil had toured North Bank extensively before the first phase on April 4.

Addressing a poll rally on Patowary home turf Dharmapur in Nalbari district, around 75 km from Guwahati, Sarma today said a member of the Congress was killed by goons before the last elections there.

“The Congress has chosen the path of non-violence; but this in no way means that we will silently watch our party members being harmed in any manner before the next phase of polls here. One Congress member was killed in Dharmapur itself before the last Assembly elections. This time we are vigilant and will not spare anyone who harms our party workers,” warned Sarma without referring to any party in particular.

“Patowary has claimed that he will provide 35,000 new appointments to people in the state government if he wins the elections. But where was he when even the AGP government had failed to provide regular salary to government employees and stalled new appointments?

“It was our government that introduced the central pay structure in the state. He accuses our government of being involved in corruption but why doesn’t he himself declare the total assets he possess?” asked Sarma.

The health minister also asked people not to be swayed by the tall claims of the AGP leader and instead cast their vote for the Congress candidate from Dharmapur, Nilamani Sen Deka, who according to him will bring about much development in this constituency.

He then went after rights activist Akhil Gogoi but sources said it was just the starting and the attacks would intensify in days to come.

“He has been campaigning a lot but what has happened to me?” he asked. Attacking AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Sarma said: “Mahanta recently said that the secret killings did not take place during his regime. But if this is so where have 380 youths disappeared? Ten youths from Dharmapur were killed during his tenure,” he said.