Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today charged state BJP of taking recourse to falsehood by making "weird statement that the state government did not give the go-ahead to the Union Home Minister to visit Assam citing security reasons".
"The state BJP is making blatant lies that our government did not give the go-ahead to the Union Home Minister to visit Assam on security grounds. The Ministry of Home Affairs did not send any itinerary to the state government regarding the visit of Rajnath Singh to Assam.
"Where does then the question of not providing security and other paraphernalia to the Union Home Minister arise?" Gogoi said, according to an official release issued by the Chief Minister's Office.
Challenging the state BJP, Gogoi said, "If the BJP is in possession of the official communique, let it disclose to the public. Or else the party must tender an unconditional apology to the people of the state."
He said the law and order is gradually improving on the border front and the situation is not that volatile that the Union Home Minister cannot visit the state now.
"I have been all along saying that Rajnath Singh should come to Assam to take stock of the situation along the inter- state border or else he could depute a Minister of State or senior official of his ministry," he added.
It is the duty of the state government to make all security arrangements for any visiting Central minister or dignitary and it will not shirk from its responsibility, the Chief Minister said.
Assam Police, in a separate release, also said it has not received any communication regarding the visit of Singh.
