GUWAHATI: Despite fears of arrest for continuing his indefinite fast, KMSS general secretary and Team Anna member Akhil Gogoi on Tuesday vowed to continue his hunger strike unless the government takes a decision to scrap big dam projects in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra river. People from various parts of the state continued to throng the Lakhidhar Bora Kshetra in the city on Tuesday where Gogoi is protesting.
Meanwhile, a team of doctors from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday examined Akhil, who is suffering from severe gastric problems, dizziness, loose motion and slip disk problem. Though chief minister Tarun Gogoi showed his willingness to hold talks with the KMSS leader if he broke his fast, Akhil called the statement a politically motivated one. “Chief minister Gogoi wants to divert public attention from the issue. The world is witness that wherever there has been fruitful talks with protesters, it is only during the course of protest,” said Akhil.
However he said KMSS is ready to talk with the government anytime if the government directly communicates with the organization. “We are ready for talks if the government sends representatives or invites us. But there is no question of breaking my fast unless a conclusion is reached on scrapping the 2000MW Lower Subansiri Hydro electric project and other proposed dams on upper reaches of the Brahmaputra,” Akhil said.
Several leading citizens addressed the gathering at the protest site on Tuesday demanding the government to scrap the projects on the foothills of the Himalayas keeping in view the seismology and ecology of the region. “Chief minister Tarun Gogoi should keep in mind the cause of the people who voted for him, not the diktat from New Delhi”, appealed professor of Gauhati University, Akhil Ranjan Dutta. India Against Corruption and National Alliance of People’s Movements have also extended their support to the ongoing protest of KMSS led by Akhil Gogoi.
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