Assam minister threatens to sue over EC ‘raid’

Guwahati, March 16 (IANS) Assam's agriculture minister Rockybul Hussain, a close aide of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, alleged a political conspiracy behind a 'raid' at his residence on Wednesday evening reportedly carried out by a team of expenditure observers of the Election Commission.

Hurriedly addressing the media at the Congress headquarters Rajiv Bhavan in Guwahati around 8 p.m., Hussain alleged that a group of people first stopped his vehicle in front of his house in Panjabari area around 7 p.m. and searched it without divulging their identity.

"I kept on asking them who they were, but they did not divulge their identity. Later, they searched my house. I cooperated with them and left the house with my wife and son," Hussain said, terming the raid a "political conspiracy" against him.

"There were about 20 cars waiting outside my residence. As soon as I came out, some people, dressed in police uniform and plain clothes, asked me to come out of the car. They searched it and even the pilot and escort cars with me.

"Later, one of them showed me a paper, where it was written as 'Raguvendra Singh, expenditure observer (Kamrup Metro)'. I do not know what raid is this," Hussain said.

"It is a political conspiracy. The people of Assam are with the Congress and so attempts are being made to terrorise Congress workers before the polls," he said, adding that he would not only lodge a police complaint but also explore legal options after discussing it with his legal counsel.

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Assam, however, confirmed it to be a raid by expenditure observers of the EC assisted by officials of Revenue Intelligence.

The CEO office refused to divulge details of the raid.

"This is an attempt to defame me before the polls. However, we as Congress members have seen such attempts in the past also and I am not going to bow down before these threats," Hussain said.

Hussain is contesting from Samaguri constituency.