PM not taking action against those involved in Panama scam: Assam CM

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not taking action against those involved in Panama scam, saying many of those involved in the case were "close to him".

"Modi will not take any action against those involved in Panama scam as many of them are known and close to him," Gogoi told reporters here.

"BJP party is a safe haven for all corrupt people and black marketeer. If one joins BJP, then all his crimes are absolved," he said.

The Chief Minister said his former minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, who later joined BJP, was saying that if his party comes to power they will take 1951 as the base year while implementing Assam accord to solve the issue of infiltration.

"This will re-awaken a solved issue and again create communal disharmony. A Nellie (where more than thousand Bangladeshi migrants were killed during the Assam agitation) like situation will again arise," Gogoi said.

"We have also signed the Assam Accord but we won't accept 1951 as base year. Politics of BJP is the politics of conflict and we strongly condemn it," he added.

A Prime Minister should not be scared of a "new comer in politics like my son. Modi is actually scared of me as he knows he cannot get power in Assam while I am here," he said.

The BJP accuses "me of only developing my son's career. Were all universities, bridges and roads made only for my son? What is wrong in him being an MP and raising his voice on behalf of the people of Assam?" the Chief Minister asked. Gogoi said he has always raised his voice for Assam and

even in "Indira Gandhi's term I raised my voice against any discrimination towards Assam while being a minister in a Congress government".

He said Bihar gave answer to Modi, Gujarat in Panchayat polls and Banaras showed BJP a defeat and now its Assam's turn to defeat BJP, he said.

"I am not a fortune teller to tell the exact number of seats we are going to get but we will get sufficient seats to form the government. In Lower Assam, we will get more seats than earlier. We will get no less than 60 seats," he added.

When Narendra Modi talks of Gujarat model, he forgets how child labour in Gujarat is at 31.6 per cent while in Assam it is almost one-third of that.

BJP conveniently lied that they provide rice at Rs two per kg whereas, it is the Assam government which is giving rice at Rs two per kg while the Centre was supplying it at Rs three per kg.

Modi quoted a song by Bhupen Hazarika and talked of development but these leaders did not even turn up when he was bed ridden.

"I doubt if he even knows the meaning of the song that he quoted to impress people", he said.

Modi also said Guwahati is one of the dirtiest capitals in the country but the "truth is that we are among the top ten capitals of India whereas Gandhinagar and Varanasi are far behind. We have done a lot without getting a penny from 'Swacch Bharat Abhiyan'", Gogoi added.