GUWAHATI:The fight between Assam’s ruling Congress and state Governor P B Acharya further intensified on Tuesday, with the party petitioning President Pranab Mukherjee, urging him to “restrain” Acharya, who had allegedly lowered the sanctity and dignity of the Constitutional Office by making “unwanted, irresponsible and politically-motivated” statements against the party. The Congress was livid at the Governor over his recent remarks when he had said, “During the 60 years of Congress rule, the party exploited and looted the country more than the Mughals and the British during their regimes in our country.”
In a memorandum submitted to the President, the Congress alleged that Acharya was acting as the “agent” of a political party and was also trying to ‘saffronise’ the education sector in the state. The Congress may not have named the party, but the reference was to the BJP. Acharya, the Governor of Nagaland, had been given additional charge of Assam in December.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of Congress workers staged a protest against the Governor in front of the Raj Bhavan here.
“The Governor’s statement that the Congress looted the country is an insult to the martyrs and stalwarts of the freedom movement in our country. The Pradesh Congress Committee(PCC) condemns his unwanted, irresponsible and politically-motivated statements,” Congress leader and former Minister Ripun Bora told reporters.
He alleged that the Governor was acting as the spokesman of an Opposition party by “violating Constitutional conventions”. The Congress was miffed that the Governor nominated some people with alleged RSS background to the Court of Dibrugarh University in his capacity as Chancellor.
Acharya has been at loggerheads with the Congress for the past few months. Earlier, Acharya had ruffled the feathers of the party by summoning state Forest Minister Atuwa Munda to Raj Bhavan following the spurt in rhino-poaching at Kaziranga National Park. His alleged administrator-like actions once led to a virtual face-off with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who had reminded the Governor that he could not go beyond a point.