[Assam] Chiring Chapori may show Assam the way

[Ram Sarangapani]

The Chiring Chapori voters seem to be on the right track - asking tough
questions. Highlights are mine.
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*Dibrugarh voters may opt for change
*By Ron Duarah
 DIBRUGARH, March 24 – It is Chiring Chapori, once again, not to chase out
illegal foreigners, *but to help the voter come at a decision on sending the
right candidate to the Assembly from the city.* The Chiring Chapori Bikash
Mancha today arranged a hugely successful politician - public interaction at
the Jeoti Moral Sangha here this afternoon, where politicians were put
through intense interrogations, in the presence of newspaper reporters and
media cameras. *At the end of the two-hour session, it seems the voters of
the city this time cannot be taken for granted as "dedicated Congress
supporters". Sitting MLA Kalyan Kumar Gogoi was visibly uncomfortable* in
the face of uneasy and probing questions, even as the BJP candidate,
Prasanta Kumar Phukan regaled the audience with his wit and assumed
commitment for the development of the city.

Of the seven candidates in the fray here, two independents, Sikha Dutta
Saikia and Chandan Mazumdar were absent in today's event. The five others
who faced the audience were, Kamini Ranjan Baruah of the AGP, Kalyan Kumar
Gogoi of the Congress, Anup Gogoi of the AGP(P), Prasanta Phukan of the BJP
and the JD (United) - supported independent, John Prakash Tanti. All of them
were unanimous in their view that the city faced a serious water logging
problem, a sheer lack of public hygiene and poor civic amenities. Naturally,
the Congress candidate faced flak for these deficiencies, as he has been MLA
from here since 1996, now making his third consecutive attempt to the House.

Gogoi fell foul of the audience,as well as the media when he made some
claims of achievement which turned out to be the accomplishments of others.
He made a brave attempt to save face by saying that as MLA, his approval was
sought before major decisions on investments in the city. Examples: The Rs
100 crore upgradation works at the Assam Medical College here, and some
schemes that were funded by the MPLAD of Dr Manmohan Singh.

To a pointed question that Dibrugarh has over the years lost its relevance
in the political and medical theatres, the candidates agreed that this was
due to a profound lack of a strong political leadership from the city. Of
course, the Congress candidate disagreed, else otherwise it would have
boomeranged on him.

The BJP candidate said he has come to the party with the motive to serve the
city, and that he has no aims of making money out of the profession. "If you
see that I have not performed to the levels of expectations from me, throw
me out," he said. Asked why he quit from his proliferating businesses to
enter politics, he said politics run in the family and that he took a
temporary detour to ensure the financial stability of the family. "If you
don't know, my grandfather Koka Nilmoni Phukan and father Jibanram Phukan
were both in politics. Even my sister-in-law is in politics," he said. She
is the independent candidate, Sikha Dutta Saikia.

Kamini Ranjan Baruah of the AGP said the present AGP has to be absolved of
all its earlier ills, "because the black sheep have all herded with Prafulla
Kumar Mahanta." He said he is aware of the ills of Dibrugarh and promised to
make the city a better place if he and the AGP are voted to power.

With the candidates having had their say at the interaction today, the
voters now have a better understanding of their candidates. Says Suman
Chaliha, a local voter: "I think the younger generation will go with
Prasanta Phukan due to his personal charisma." Staunch Congress supporter,
Deba Phukan too feels his family this time seems to have drifted away from
the Congress. "But I intend to remain in the party," he said, and just about
summed up the nervousness and insecurity in the Congress here.
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