No separate ministry for N-E

Purkayastha said that the separate department would be empowered to take independent decisions regarding the north-eastern region, and it would be placed directly under the PrimeMinister’s Office. The Union Minister’s announcement is likely to cause resentment in the seven north-eastern states, as a separate ministry has been a long standing demand of the region.

Regarding the crisis in the Asom Gana Parishad, Purkayastha said that the BJP would not back the dissident group in their attempt to dislodge state Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta from office. “It is an internal matter of the AGP, we have nothing to do with it,” Purkayastha said, adding that it would be in the best interest of the state for the AGP to solve the crisis soon.

The Union Minister also said that he did not have any information about some dissident Asom Gana Parishad leaders meeting central Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in connection with the move to dislodge Mahanta.

Assam will not be broken up, says BJP MP

The Bharatiya Janata party is against a division of Assam, Union Minister of State for Communication Kabindra Purkayastha said here today. Addressing a press conference at the end ofhis three-day tour of the North-East, Purkayastha — the lone BJP MP from the region — said, “The BJP is very clear in this regard. We are opposed to division of Assam, including creation of a separate state for the Bodos.”

His remark came one day ahead of the All-Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) mass rally to be held here tomorrow. The ABSU is slated to renew its pledge to fight for a separate state and Purkayastha is likely to draw flak from the Bodo group following his remark. Meanwhile, Bineswar Brahma, president of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha has said the Sabha will back the ABSU and other Bodo groups in their efforts to press for creation of a separate Bodoland state.