With everyone waiting for the Congress high command’s decision on appointment of PCC chief, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday gave a new twist to it by advocating elections for the appointment of PCC chief.
This has come a day after chief minister moved a resolution authorising Congress president Sonia Gandhi to constitute the Assam PCC — appoint its president, vice-president, treasurer, member of the AICC and election committee — which was subsequently endorsed by incumbent president Bhubaneswar Kalita, Anowara Taimur and Bhumidhar Barman. Even after authorising the Congress president to select a president, the chief minister’s suggestion for elections has come as surprise to many in the party circles.
Mr Gogoi told reporters, “I am of view that PCC chief should be elected through voting. Instead of following the pattern of nomination, party should allow all the claimants to contest.” Mr Gogoi said, “I was also elected PCC chief through voting.”
PCC chief Bhuwneswar Kalita had also passed a similar resolution authorising Congress high command to nominate a president of her choice.
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Student held over Facebook post released
Age Correspondent
Srinagar
A Kashmiri student, Faizan Samad Kumar, arrested by the Srinagar police earlier this week after he posted the names of local police officers on popular social networking site Facebook was freed on Sunday.
Police officials here said that Faizan had by posting “objectionable material” on the Facebook “put to threat the lives and property of several respectable citizens as well as maligned their character.” However, on questioning him, it came to fore that he had only “copied” the “objectionable note” from the wall post of another unidentified social network user.
“Keeping in view the young age of the person and that he being a student, Faizan has been released with no charges against him,” they said renewing appeal to Internet surfers “to take necessary care while making any comment on blogs or uploading material which could lead to consequences causing irreparable harm to the life or reputation of any citizen.” Faizan’s arrest had evoked widespread condemnation across the globe and on Facebook itself.
Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen shot dead one Ghulam Mohiuddin Bhat, a resident of Chatloora in Dangiwacha area.