A delegation of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has met Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit at Raj Bhavan in Guwahati on Friday and sent a memorandum to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking to restore the NSG security cover of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and the Personal Security to the other Congress leaders in the State.
The 11-member delegation led by APCC president and Rajya Sabha member Ripun Bora met the Governor today and submitted two separate memorandums to the Governor seeking his intervention and intervention of the Union Home Minister in this regard.
“The NSG security cover extended to former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoihas been arbitrarily withdrawn by your Ministry. You are aware that Sri Gogoi headed help of affairs for our State for 15 years and was largely successful in containing militancy and that his life is still vulnerable at the hands of militant outfits still active in the state. It was because of such genuine reasons that Sri Gogoi was extended Z+ security with NSG cover,” Bora said in his letter addressed to Union Home Minister.
“It is only seven month that Gogoi is out of office and his threat perception can never come to such a point where it is fit to withdraw the NSG cover. Moreover the Home Ministry has so far now
withdrawn years long NSG cover from former Chief Minister of different States including former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta,” said Bora while registering their strong objection over the move and appealing the Union Minister for carefully re-examine the matter and restore the NSG security cover of Gogoi.
“We met the Governor today over these issues. The Government must think and work beyond political affiliations. During the Congress tenure the security of other political party leaders had not been withdrawn at whims. We believe politics at play behind the decision of withdrawing the NSG security cover of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi,” he said adding that the Governor has assured them to instruct the State Government to review the decision.
Bora also mentioned that the BJP led Government in Assam had also withdrawn the Personal Security of different Congress leaders, former MlAs, former MPs and former Ministers soon after coming to power.
“You are aware that Congress party has always been fighting extremists and insurgency throughout the country for which a large number of Congress members have been targeted by these elements in the past,” he said adding that the former Congress Government had provided Personal Security to some Congress leaders based on police report.
“However, after the BJP government came to power in Assam, the Personal Security officers (PSOs) of these Congress leaders have been withdrawn in the most partisan manner,” he said adding that this led the Congress to believe that the BJP government had taken the decisions due to political reasons and not considering the security concerns.