Cong asks Tudu to quit

Guwahati, June 28: The Assam PCC today directed party leader Chrisostum Tudu to resign from the post of executive member of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) on a day chief minister Tarun Gogoi decided that the break-up with the BPF would be beneficial to the ruling Congress in the state.

The PCC directive issued by its president Bhubaneswar Kalita came a day after all MLAs from the BPF, holding posts in the Tarun Gogoi government, quit.

The move came after BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary pulled out of the Congress-led coalition government on Thursday after eight years of alliance.

The decision of either the Congress or the BPF will have no impact on either the Gogoi government or the 45-member BTC led by Mohilary.

Tudu was the lone Congress councillor who was an executive member in the BTC. There are in all 12 executive members in the BTC.

Kalita’s decision was along expected lines and was made public this afternoon, around the time Gogoi said he had accepted the resignation letters of the BPF MLAs and would forward it to the governor.

“We did not ask them to leave. It is not a Congress loss (snapping of ties). We will only benefit from the development,” Gogoi said.

Mohilary said he severed ties with the ruling Congress because of Dispur’s “step-motherly attitude” and its failure to provide security to the people of the Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD).

BPF spokesperson Prabin Boro had yesterday said that they would now work towards strengthening the party for the BTC election next year and the Assembly elections in 2016.

The BPF MLAs, who resigned from their government posts include transport and tourism minister Chandan Brahma, parliamentary secretaries Rakeshwar Brahma and Maneswar Brahma and chairman of Warehousing Corporation Rihon Daimary.

There are 33 members of the BPF, two Independents and five members of the Congress in the BTC. Apart from this, there are five nominated members.