AGP asks Manmohan to quit as Assam MP

Guwahati, Sep 10 (UNI) The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today demanded the resignation of Dr Manmohan Singh as the Assam MP for ''failing to understand the gravity of the Assam floods despite being the representative from the state for nearly two decades.'' Addressing a press conference here, three AGP MPs - Birendra Prasad Baishya, Arun Sarma and Kumar Deepak Das - said, ''It is the misfortune of Assam that despite having one of their fellow MPs from the state as the Prime Minister, the flood protection and flood relief work is almost nil.

''Dr Singh termed the Bihar flood as national calamity while for him Assam flood is natural calamity. Why does he not find time to visit Majuli and Dhemaji districts where the agricultural fields have been completely destroyed and the water has still not receded,'' the MPs lamented.

''It is a shame that there is no one to convince New Delhi that Assam flood was equally devastating if not more destructive than the one at Bihar,'' Mr Baishya said.

The MPs announced that they would not give consent to the Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman to divert money from their local area development funds for Bihar relief.

''Not only are we not going to give any money, we will also request all Northeastern MPs not to give their funds for Bihar relief. Rather we are urging the Speaker to make another such call for Assam flood relief so that the total money could be divided between Assam and Bihar,'' Mr Das said.

Citing a recent letter of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs K Radhika Selvi, Mr Sarma said the Assam government had not submitted any memorandum seeking additional Central assistance from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) in the wake of floods this year.

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