Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora on Friday described as “political vendetta” the Assam Government's move to rename the Rajiv Gandhi National Park in the State and demanded its restoration.

In a letter to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Congress leader said history will always remember the late Prime Minister, who sacrificed his life for the unity and integrity of India.

In addition to this, he said, people of Assam will remember Gandhi for his significant role in the historic 1985 Assam Accord which put an end to years of bloodshed during the Assam agitation.

Bora said the Assam government, during the regime of the then Chief Minister late Hiteswar Saikia, took the decision to name Orang National Park as Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park “as a mark of honour and respect to this great leader” and since then the national park has got a place at the international level.

The cabinet meeting held on September 1 “abruptly decided” to withdraw the nomenclature of Rajiv Gandhi from the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park and turned it as Orang National Park only, he said.

The Congress leader said it has pained the people of Assam to a large extent and such decisions will serve no fruitful purpose in leading Assam to the path of development, “rather it reflects lack of respect to a great leader who sacrificed his life for the country”. “There is every reason to believe that your above decision seems to be nothing but political vendetta towards a former Prime Minister who differs from the political ideology of your party.”

“In view of the forgoing facts and circumstances I urge you to reconsider the above decision and retain the nomenclature of the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park so that history will not term it as a bad precedent in the coming days,” he said.

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