Assam CM Tarun Gogoi seeks governor's ouster over 'Hindus' remark

GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday demanded the Centre immediately withdraw acting governor P B Acharya and appoint a “large hearted personality” in his place, a day after his controversial comment, “Hindustan is for Hindus.”
READ ALSO:Hindustan is for Hindus, says Assam governor
While Acharya tried to clarify his remarks on Sunday saying he had meant India must welcome persecuted Hindus and other religious minorities from Bangladesh and Pakistan, Gogoi said, “He violated the oath of office to protect the country’s integrity and unity.He has lost the standing to remain as a governor. I demand the Centre to immediately appoint a person with a large heart as governor.”
Acharya, in his defence, said, “Hindus and other religious minorities who are persecuted (in Bangladesh and Pakistan) can come to India. In fact, it is our duty to give them shelter. India is their natural home. I am not saying that if Hindus are persecuted in America or Russia, they should be provided shelter in India.”
At the heart of the Gogoi-Acharya spat is the issue of the Centre’s decision to grant shelter to non-Muslims fleeing Pakistan and Bangladesh out of fear of religious persecution. The illegal migrants have always been the key issue for political parties in every election.
READ ALSO:Pakistan leaders vow to protect Hindus
Both Gogoi and Acharya have also angered the All Assam Students Union (Aasu) for their support to granting shelter to non-Muslim illegal migrants from Bangladesh in the state as this violates the Assam Accord of 1985.
Acharya said, “India has a big heart… Persecuted Christians, Sikhs, Jains and other religious minorities (from Pakistan and Bangladesh) can seek shelter in our country.”
Talking about persecuted Muslims in the subcontinent, the governor said, “Even Muslims, if they feel persecuted, can come here (India), as we have given shelter to Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen.”
But, turning up the heat on the governor, Gogoi alleged Acharya would “act as an RSS pracharak and help BJP in the coming election if he remains here as the governor”.
“After seeing the political reaction to his statement yesterday, he has made a U-turn today on his statement,” Gogoi said.
In June, the Congress had asked President Pranab Mukherjee to “restrain” Acharya from allegedly trying to misuse his office to serve the interests of BJP. Congress members had also staged a protest in front of Raj Bhawan in Guwahati.
Acharya, who was BJP national secretary when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the BJP general secretary, was also in-charge of party affairs in the northeast, before he was appointed as Nagaland governor. He had said that after assuming the post of governor, he was no longer a BJP man.