145;Asom146; gets Assembly go-ahead

The Assam Legislative Assembly today endorsed a decision of the state Cabinet, adopted in February this year, to change the name of the state from Assam to Asom, but not before the Opposition Asom Gana Parishad AGP and CPI expressed some reservations about it.

While the state Cabinet had on February 27 decided to change the spelling of the state8217;s name following an appeal by Chandra Prasad Saikia, a former president of the Assam Sahitya Sabha, the Assembly today passed a move by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to endorse the same. The Assembly also resolved that the Government of India be moved for effecting necessary changes in the Constitution to replace the word Assam by Asom.

But even as Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai placed the resolution for approval of the House, Opposition Leader Brindaban Goswami, CPI leader Drupad Bargohain and AGP legislator Anup Phukan tried to raise some objections. But the Speaker refused to entertain any intervention by the Opposition members saying the stage for any objection or discussion was already over. Despite this, Goswami, Bargohain and Phukan made it heard that the matter should have been discussed in the Assembly because several organisations, especially those representing the Tai-Ahom communities were opposed to changing the spelling.