Rift in Assam Cong over RS nomination

Even as the Congress nominated Santius Kujur to the second Rajya Sabha vacancy from Assam,a section of party leaders have expressed dissatisfaction over his candidature and announced they would take their resentment to party president Sonia Gandhi.

Even as the Congress nominated Santius Kujur to the second Rajya Sabha vacancy from Assam,a section of party leaders have expressed dissatisfaction over his candidature and announced they would take their resentment to party president Sonia Gandhi.

Former minister Anjan Dutta said on Tuesday that there were at least 25 legislators in the Congress who are sore over Kujurs selection. Kujur is a newcomer. He joined the party only in 2009. There are so many senior leaders who have been deprived. Moreover,if it is true that the AICC had selected him because he belonged to the tea tribes community,then this community is being over-represented, Dutta said.

Kujur,meanwhile,has submitted his nomination papers to the returning officer on Monday in the presence of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and APCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita.

Dutta pointed out that the tea tribes community already has a Union minister Paban Singh Ghatowar,apart from the deputy leader of the Congress Legislature Party and deputy speaker in the Assembly.

In comparison,several other communities,including Koch-Rajbangshis,Morans and Mataks,have remained unrepresented despite having considerable population. This is unfair, Dutta said. Dutta added even if the candidate was to be from the tea tribes community,then there were several persons better than Kujur. Gogoi and Kalita,however,dismissed Duttas resentment as temporary.

PM8217;s RS papers found valid,age corrected

The nominations papers of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,a Congress Rajya Sabha candidate from Assam,were found valid on Tuesday after scrutiny even as he filed a fresh affidavit correcting his age from 82 years to 80. The PMs four sets of nomination papers,endorsed by 40 MLAs submitted under oath before the Returning Officer,were found in order,Assembly sources said. Singh filed a fresh affidavit two days ago correcting his age from 82 to 80 years in the nomination papers.