A fresh war of words have started between Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Governor PB Acharya over the issue of unabated killing of one-horned rhinos even as the Governor on Monday said that 'another agency' can be engaged to protect the species if the present one has failed. "I am concerned over the killing of rhinos in Assam. The rhinos are precious and it is the responsibility of the people of Assam to ensure that the rhinos are protected. If those who are responsible for the protection cannot do their job, they should quit. I will urge the Government to engage another agency for the job," the Governor told newsmen after addressing the first day of the Budget session of the Assam legislative Assembly on Monday.
Acharya, who has taken over the additional charge of Assam only in December last year, has been voicing concern over the killings of the one-horned rhinos. The Governor soon after his joining appealed the State Government for urgent steps to protect the rhinos and suggested a complete overhaul of the security system of the national park. On Sunday, the Governor held a meeting with the park director and asked him to submit a report as to what is lacking as far as the protection of rhinos are concerned. Acharya had also called the State Forest Minister Atuwa Munda for the meeting.
Racting to the Governor's stand, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday said that the Governor is crossing the line. "There are some limits for everyone. If he (Governor) does not follow the Constitution, we will not listen to him. He is a Governor and not a BJP man now," Gogoi said. "Petty criminals challenging the Government of Assam, this cannot be tolerated. I stand by my earlier stand. I have met the park director yesterday and sought a report from him to ascertain what is lacking," said the Governor.
It may be mentioned here that a total of six rhinos have been killed in Assam since January this year including five in the Kaziranga alone, which is a UNESCO world heritage Site. The last rhino was killed on Thursday last in Kaziranga. Meanwhile, the first day of the Budget session of the Assembly started on a noisy note on Monday after the Opposition MlAs opposed the Governor's speech, which mentioned that the State has achieved good economic growth, forcing the Governor to end it by reading only the last line. While the AGP legislators including Phani Bhushan Choudhury opposed the speech initially, the BJP and AIUDF legislators also supported and raised their objection.