After days of will-they-won't-they, four suspended Congress MLAs along with five of their colleagues have joined BJP on Friday fuelling the speculations of a vertical split in the opposition party 6 months ahead of the assembly polls.
Sitting Congress MLAs Pradan Baruah, Jayanta Malla Baruah, Piyush Hazarika and Pallab Lochan Das. Others Abu Taher Bepari, Balin Chetia, Rajen Barthakur, Binanda Saikia and Kripanath Mallah have joined BJP at a function presided over by state unit president Siddarth Bhattacharya at the party headquarter in the afternoon. Party's central leaders Ram Madhab along with many senior leaders attended the ceremony where Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal was conspicuous by his absence.
Many senior BJP leaders have not taken Sonowal's absence easily.
"We are not easily accepting the absence of Sonowal from the ceremony. He was dead opposed to their joining with promise for ticket to contest the polls," said a senior party leaders.
APCC president Anjan Dutta said the party has finally got rid of these, disturbing the party for the last three years. They joined the party a day after they met Sonowal who in principle, allowed them to proceed.
Flood waters continue to wreak havoc in Kaziranga. The world heritage site which is an abode of two-thirds of world's one-horned rhinoceros population, is also partially flooded and many animals have been forced to take shelter on the highlands. Rhino habitats are flooded to force the trapped animals to shift to the safer places in the nearby hills. The Park authorities are on alert to protect the wildlife from deluge and poachers by undertaking day-night vigil and patrolling on boats through the flooded park.
The overall flood situation remains critical. Amid alert 11 districts are reeling under floodwaters. The Brahmaputra and its tributaries are flowing over the danger mark after the torrential rains lashed the state for several hours. This wave has left over one lakh people homeless. Downpour in the catchment areas of Arunachal Pradesh has resulted in the swelling water level in Jiadhol to trap Dhemaji district where over 100 villages are under flood. Tinsukia, Chirang, Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karimganj, Lakhimpur, Morigaon are the other flood-hit districts.
Anup Chetia is expected to be extradited this week. The ULFA top leader is expected to arrive in New Delhi on July 16---two days ahead of the home secretary level bilateral talks slated for July 18. An Assam police team is prepared to leave for the national capital to take Chetia on their remand in view of a number of pending cases.The pro talk ULFA leaders are also set to leave for New Delhi to discuss the status of the peace process with the Centre. Chetia was arrested in Bangladesh in 1997 and was subsequently handed down seven years of jail term by a court for cross-border intrusion, carrying fake passports and illegally keeping foreign currencies.
A heavy to heaviest rain and thunder is likely to lash Assam during the next 48 hours forcing the government to be prepared for itFive districts are on alert in view of the impending downpour. According to Indian Meteorological Department, 488 MM rainfall in Sonitpurs, Lakhimpur, Golaghat and Barpeta districts by the next 48 hours. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi who is back in Guwahati has instructed the water resources department to be well prepared to deal with the crisis. He directed the district administrations to evacuate the people from the river banks.
AGP receives yet another blow on Tuesday when the party’s one of the founder leader Atul Bora deserted Prafulla Kumar Mahanta.The former minister Bora rushed to the party headquarters on Tuesday and handed his resignation letter to the party president through vice president Joseph Toppo.In all probability, Bora is set to join the BJP on Wednesday in presence of Rajnath Singh which will be on a two days tour to the state.
Asom Gana Parishad is holding a crucial meeting in Guwahati on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing crippling crisis.President Prafulla Kumar Mahanta is presiding the meeting at the party headquarters where the district bodies are appraising the leadership of the prevailing situation. Despite instructions, all district committees are not attending the meeting. Some of the top leaders are conspicuous by their absence.
Despite strict vigilance Kaziranga is yet to get rid of the repeated rhino poaching incidents.Yet another body of rhino was found in the national park on Tuesday. The hornless rhino body was spotted at Kukurkata inside the Burhapahar range of the national park. Poachers are suspected to have killed the full grown rhino two days ago. Photo: Dhrubajyoti Saha, Kaziranga.
An antelope was killed and another injured while trying move to a highland as flood scene turns grim in the Kaziranga National Park.The two animals were hit by a speeding vehicle last night when they were crossing NH 37 along the Park to move to the highlands in neighbouring Karbi Anglong district through the Mirimihi animal corridor. The injured antelope was sent to the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation. Vast areas the national park have also been affected. Vehicular movement has been restricted from Sunday morning on NH 37, which passes through the park and which animals use to cross into the southern side on their way from the low lying areas of the park.
The overall flood situation worsened with more and more villages getting submerged. Floodwaters entered the Kaziranga National Park where an antelope was killed.Over 65,000 people of 170 villages in seven districts - Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Golaghat, Jorhat, Kamrup, Karimganj and Lakhimpur - were affected.The mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries Jia Bharali and Dikhow were flowing over danger mark at Jorhat, Sonitpur and Sivasagar.Altogether 43 villages have come under water in Dhemaji, Jorhat and Sivasagar districts since yesterday affecting nearly 5,000 people. Around 800 people are taking shelter in three relief camps in Dhemaji.
Professor Gautam Biswas is tipped to become the next director of IIT Guwahati.The director of Central Mechanical Engineering and Research Institute in Durgapur is all set to replace Gautam Barua, whose tenure as the director ended. Barua served in the top position for 10 years.A search-cum-selection panel headed by human resource development minister M.M. Pallam Raju has selected Biswas for the job.President Pranab Mukherjee, who is the visitor of the institute, will have to clear the appointment after which Biswas will get a five-year term as the director, sources said.
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