Till 48 hours ago, Assam was in the news for its devastating floods. Then suddenly the western political storm from Maharashtra took over the far-flung North-Eastern Assam. Thereon, floods and rains took a back seat while Eknath Shinde and his rebel camp assumed prime importance in capital city Guwahati’s five-star Radisson Blu Hotel.
Local TMC and Congress leaders have informed scribes that the hotel has been booked for seven days. The cumulative seven days’ tariff for the rooms stands at ₹ 56 lakh. Add to this a daily estimated cost of food and other services at ₹ 8 lakh a day. The hotel has 196 rooms. Apart from the 70 rooms booked for the MLAs and their teams, the management is not accepting new bookings, barring those booked on corporate deals already. Also, the banquet is closed, so is the restaurant except for those staying at the hotel.
The cost of the whole “operation” will include chartered flights and other transport arrangements, besides other expenses that may not be known so far.
Eknath Shinde, with around 42 MLAs, including Independents, has demanded the Shiv Sena break its alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, or NCP, saying that Shiv Sena leaders suffered the most in the last two-and-a-half years of the coalition’s rule. Some of the rebels have said the Sena should tie up with “natural ally” BJP to form a new government.
Meanwhile, the toll due to the flood since mid-May stands at 101. Over 54 lakh have been affected, and 12 new deaths were reported today. Brahmaputra and Barak rivers along with its tributaries are overflowing in affected districts and vast tracts of land remained inundated in 32 of the total 36 districts in the state. In a few places, the flood seems to be on the recede. On Thursday, 3,658 persons were evacuated with the help of 276 boats across the state by NDRF, SDRF and other agencies. So far, over 14,500 marooned people have been rescued by the NDRF in 12 flood-affected districts of Assam.
Also Read: Shinde Camp In Guwahati; Reiterate Hindutva Should Be Focus; Assam CM Seen Leaving Hotel
