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In a stern message to rebel legislators, the Congress high command on Tuesday night dropped two ministers from Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s ministry for indulging in anti-party activities.
Just a day after the leader of the rebel legislators, Dr Himanta Bishwa Sarma resigned as the health and education minister of Assam expressing non-confidence in the chief minister, another two ministers, Irrigation Minister Dr Ardhendu Dey and Cooperation Minister Siddique Ahmed, were dropped.
Ardhendu Dey was a cabinet member while Siddique Ahmed was a minister of state with independent charge. Both of them represented two minority communities in the Gogoi ministry.
Both the ministers had accompanied Dr Sarma along with 25 other rebel MLAs when he had gone to Raj Bhawan on Monday to tender his resignation to Governor J B Patnaik.
Reacting to the action taken against them Dr Dey and Ahmed said they had done nothing to be treated in this manner. They said they had demanded the removal of the chief minister in the greater interest of the Congress’s revival in Assam.
Dr Dey said it was a risky decision (to drop them) taken by the chief minister just before the monsoon session of the Assam Assembly scheduled to being on August 4.
Dr Sarma said that injustice had been done to both the ministers as they were dropped without serving any show cause notice.