HM border visit violation of cooperative federalism: Gogoi

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today termed as "unfortunate" and "a violation to the spirit of cooperative federalism" the visit of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to Indo-Bangla border without taking the state government into confidence.
"We welcome Union Home Minister's border visit. However, not taking Assam Government's representative along with him in spite of its (state government's) request is a violation to the spirit of cooperative federalism and NDA Government's much vaunted rhetoric of Team India," Gogoi said in a statement.
He said the state government has an important role in safeguarding the border and hence Assam government should have been taken into confidence for making the border visit more meaningful.

"Never before in my long political career, the state government was ignored like this," Gogoi said.
The Chief Minister said the action of Union Home Minister is tantamount to negating the constitutional provisions, where law and order is a state subject.
Gogoi stated that request has also been made from the state government to accommodate Inspector General (Special Branch) H C Nath as a State Government representative, but it was turned down citing space constraint as the reason.

BJP leaders Himanta Biswa Sharma and Mahendra Singh were accommodated for the border visit, Gogoi said.
Taking political leaders ignoring Government officials to solve a problem, where the state's interest is involved, is not done and "it also exposes the partisan attitude of none other than the Union Home Minister," he added.

Everybody knows that law and order is a state subject and Assam Government is extending full cooperation to the Central security agencies in guarding the international border along with checking infiltration, Gogoi said.