GUWAHATI, June 8 ? Notwithstanding the ?best? effort made by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to give representation to all communities of the State having a heterogeneous population in his 36-member Council of ministers through the expansion, there are whispers of resentment in the ruling party over not the quantity of the Ministers but quality of some of those who got ministerial berth. Question is being raised in the party circles about merit of selection of at least three Ministers from religious minority community although the Chief Minister?s effort to give adequate representation to the community which has remained loyal to Congress for years, is being widely appreciated. A senior party leader on condition of anonymity informed that even as the Chief Minister showing his confidence in young blood by inducting eleven first-time MLAs in the ministry, several senior Congress MLAs including a couple of them from Upper Assam are feeling let down.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) crying hoarse over the ?jumbo? size of Gogoi Ministry although it is bigger only by three Ministers compared to the Council Ministers led by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta during the last AGP regime. AGP legislator from Moran and party spokesman Sarbananda Sonowal today stated that the ?jumbo size? of Ministry belied the Chief Minister?s promise given to the people of the State to cut down on Government expenditure. The AGP spokesman stated that the Chief Minister, Sri Gogoi?s argument that the expansion was aimed at increasing efficiency of the Government did not hold water at this juncture when the State coffer was empty. The AGP further alleged that the Chief Minister chose to have a jumbo size ministry in order to quell growing dissidence within the party over ministerial berth.
PTI adds : Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today justified the large strength of his just expanded council of Ministers saying it was required as the State had a heterogeneous population. ?The ministry had to be expanded as the State has a mixed population of myriad people and tribal population ranging from Bodos in Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon district, Rabhas and Karbi Anglong in central Assam and Misings in Upper Assam among many others,? Gogoi told PTI here.
Denying his 36 member ministry was a jumbo one, he claimed his ministry was much smaller than other States in the NE Region. Even in the previous Congress ministry in Assam headed by Hiteswar Saikia there were 30 Ministers, Gogoi said. Another reason for the expansion, which took place yesterday with the induction of 20 new faces, were the ongoing development works and the workload on the earlier Ministers. Before the expansion the ministry strength was 17 and each was holding charge of three or four departments, which was very high, he said.