Eastern Panorama: How do you feel when you look back to the days when you assumed the office of the Chief Minister of a trouble-torn state eight years back?

Tarun Gogoi: Eight years ago, when I took over as Chief Minister of a Congress Government, Assam was almost a lost case. Anarchy and mayhem reigned supreme with the terrorists calling the shots, people were scared of coming out after sunset, government employees were not getting salaries on time, roads were in bad shape, and businessmen were fleeing due to the spree of extortions and abductions. There was total insecurity all over, and people were living in a state of mental despair and despondency where they thought development and normalcy had to wait till peace was brought back.

While my first and foremost task was to bring the drifting law and order situation under control and instill a sense of security, we also took a slew of stringent measures to raise our own resources and bring about fiscal discipline as early as possible. As 80 per cent of our people live in the rural areas, my immediate focus was to take the administration to their doorstep, for which we launched a very successful programme called “Raijor Podulit Raijor Sorkar” – meaning ‘people’s government at people’s doorstep’.

EP: Don’t you think that unemployment is one of the major problems stalking the state with the number of educated unemployed swelling with each passing year?

TG: Tackling unemployment is a tough job, especially in a state where industrial activity and big investments have by and large remained absent. But a self-help group (SHG) movement that we triggered off within a few months of assuming office brought about an unbelievable silent revolution, and today we not only have over 1.70 lakh SHGs but also an atmosphere where the unemployed no longer look at the government as just an employment-provider. With panchayats in place, central funds too started flowing in, and today Assam’s rural economy is at such a level that the per capita income has shot up from Rs 10,718 in 2001-02 to an amazing Rs 22,081 in 2007-08. The GDP, which stood at a dismal 2.1 per cent in 2001, has gone up to 8 per cent. And, thanks to the people’s positive mindset that we could bring about, Assam is today considered the fastest mover in overall rankings among all states of the country as revealed by an in-depth survey conducted by a leading magazine of the country.

EP: With Dr. Manmohan Singh back as Prime Minister will there be a surfeit of windfall for Assam insofar as allocation of funds from the Central Government is concerned?

TG: Indeed so. As you all know it was during Dr. Singh’s first tenure that rural and overall economy received a massive boost with our focus on road communication, and, while most roads have been repaired, we also added over 10,000 kms of road-length apart from 887 concrete bridges in the past eight years. Now with Dr. Singh at the helm of affairs once more funds will no longer be a constraint in construction of four more bridges across the Brahmaputra, which will take up the total number of bridges on the river to nine by 2013. The sanction for our proposal of four bridges on the Brahmaputra at one go by the Prime Minister is not only an unprecedented decision, it is also a gesture of the UPA Government’s genuine interest and commitment towards balanced development of the country with special emphasis on Assam and the North East. Work on the East-West Corridor is going on full swing, while more trains and flights are coming in to Assam from different regions of the country today.

EP: The Opposition is crying hoarse that your Government has passed on the burden on the consumers by taking loans from ADB for carrying out power reforms in the state. What do you have to say on this?

TG: It is true that we had to take loans from the ADB to tide over our power shortage and financial problems. But, had it not been for those loans, it would not have been possible to pull the state out of the quagmire that it was in when we took over. It was at a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the ADB in 2004 that got us Rs 543.47 crore to bring about fiscal discipline in the state. You will be happy to know that an internal report of the ADB has already praised Assam for having overtaken states in the field of economic and fiscal reforms. That is also the reason why ADB is giving us another $200 million aid under the Assam Power Sector Enhancement Investment Programme to further strengthen the transmission and distribution systems which will become necessary once the mega thermal power stations come up in the next couple of years.

EP: What has been your Government’s thrust area in the past eight years?

TG: One area where we have been according top priority all along has been the younger generation. And my primary focus has been on the education sector. Assam is the first state in the country to provide computers to every high school, and also first in providing a computer to every student who secured first division in high school final examinations. With a view to broaden the vision and outlook, thousands of school students have been sent on educational excursion to various parts of the state under the ‘Gyanjyoti’ programme. One lakh girl students from BPL families have been given bicycles. Investing in education is definitely the best one can do, and we have not only rebuilt almost every primary school in the state, but is now waiting for a World-Class university to take off. We will soon be having a Knowledge City and a Science City near Guwahati, so that our young people acquire maximum knowledge and equip themselves with skills that make them employable. Engineering colleges, technical schools and polytechnics have already received a new lease of life due to fresh investments, while the pass percentage of students in various examinations have more than doubled in the past few years.

Along with education, healthcare too has undergone a sea change, and a steady flow of funds, coupled with a congenial atmosphere has helped the Government health machinery win back the people’s confidence. We have opened evening OPDs in all Government hospitals, while IMR and MMR have come down significantly in recent years. We are also the first to have introduced a unique health and accident insurance for the people and today pacemakers and chemotherapy too have become free for most categories of people.

EP: Your party in power suffered a mild reverse in the Lok Sabha polls, two seats down from its 2004 tally. Was it along expected lines? Does the poll outcome call for serious introspection and adopting strategies before the next big battle in 2011?

TG: It was not an easy fight as our party was up against the three-pronged Opposition. Though we won seven seats despite the odds, I am not completely satisfied. Therefore, we will have to introspect and analyse the poll results and find the solution. There is no room for complacency.

As for evolving strategies my mantra for partymen, MLAs and ministers is simple: connect with rural voters. Rural Assam will be my priority in the coming days. And for that we will put in place a comprehensive plan aimed at building more roads, bridges and rural-based industries to generate self-employment.

EP: Aren’t floods and infiltration also major areas of concern.

TG: Yes, two most important problems facing the state are floods and infiltration. As the UPA Government is back at the Centre, we hope that they would continue to take as much interest as they did during its first term in solving the flood and erosion problem. Unlike our predecessors, we have taken a practical two-pronged approach to tackle influx from Bangladesh. One is to immediately put a full-stop to fresh influx; and two, to speed up the process of detection and deportation under the existing laws of the Assam Accord. That is not all. We are also updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the first time ever so that the infiltrators can be detected at every post. With the UPA Government backing us to the hilt, our task though uphill, will be a meaningful exercise in the long run.

EP: When you look back what gives you a sense of satisfaction?

TG: Changing the mindset of the people from a state of depression to optimism and changing the perception of Assam outside have been our biggest achievements. Assam is no longer a land of ‘lahe lahe’ (laid-back attitude) and frequent bandhs. The younger generation is dreaming big, beginning to work hard, is willing to take risks and become successful in life. People outside too are changing their opinion about Assam. Insurgency is on the wane, and big houses are eyeing Assam as their next destination for investment. But I am not for uprooting farmers to set up big industries. We welcome eco-friendly industries and units based on natural resources which do not disturb the environment.