Gogoi recalls his association with Vajpayee

Guwahati (Assam), 16 Aug, 2018:

Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said Assam had benefited a lot when Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away on Thursday, was the Prime Minister.

“When I became the Chief Minister of Assam in 2001, there were several problems in the state. The BJP was in power at the Centre and he (Vajpayee) was the Prime Minister. The state’s financial state was precarious. The Central allocation of funds to the states then was on the basis of 75:25. However, as we couldn’t give 25 per cent, the Centre stopped giving us its share of 75 per cent. We requested him to ensure that we get the Central share of 75 per cent even if we cannot give 25 per cent. He had referred the matter to the Planning Commission but it did not consider our case. We then said about deferred payment and the Planning Commission agreed. It helped us to carry out development work,” Gogoi said.

He also said that by talking to Vajpayee, the then Congress government in the state was able to stop the Centre’s move to close down the two paper mills.

Recalling his tenure in the Parliament, Gogoi said he had seen Vajpayee from a close proximity when he (Gogoi) became an MP in 1971.

“Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister then and he (Vajpayee) was the Opposition leader. He was very sharp, intelligent and a good orator. He also had a good sense of humour. He would always raise important issues. Indira and Vajpayee had great respect for each other. I had seen his rise in life. I had also seen how he lost by one vote. When I became a Union Minister, we met quite a few times. He told me about some work in his constituency,” Gogoi said.