Guwahati: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and other All India Congress Committee leaders on Sunday kick-started the Congress campaign for the 2006 Assembly polls in Assam. They joined Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and PCC leaders in showcasing the achievements of the Congress Government in the State.Addressing a rally chaired by PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita here, Mr. Mukherjee said the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress Government had fulfilled all its promises made to the people of Assam. He said the Congress-led Government rebuilt the State by bringing back peace, improving the economy and by maintaining unity among various ethnic communities.

Mr. Mukherjee said the Government also protected minorities. He urged both linguistic and religious minorities to be unafraid, now that the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act was struck down by the Supreme Court. He said the Government accepted the verdict and would abide by it.

Mr. Mukherjee said Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath would soon announce a special package for bailing out Assam's sick tea industry.

The AICC general secretary in charge of Assam, Digvijay Singh, said that when the Gogoi-led Congress Government assumed office in 2001, the law and order situation was deplorable. However, when compared to the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) rule, the situation was remarkably different now. This Government, said Mr. Singh, was successful in bring different militant outfits to the negotiation table.

However, he cautioned party leaders and workers against factionalism and urged them to cooperate with the PCC in nominating the right candidates for the polls.

Mr. Gogoi said the Opposition AGP and the Bharatiya Janata Party were the sources of all the State's problems. He accused them of not doing anything for the people's welfare.

Mr. Gogoi said that it was only at the initiative of his Government that Chief Minister-level talks were held after 14 years, and the Assam Accord with the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) was reviewed at the Prime Minister's level after 16 years. The inspection of the India-Bangladesh border to take stock of sealing the border was also undertaken after 20 years of signing of the accord, he said.

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