Prime Minister Manmohan Singh submitted his nomination papers here on Wednesday for election to the Rajya Sabha from Assam for a fifth consecutive term.
Elections to two Rajya Sabha seats from the State are scheduled for May 30.
Angry mediapersons shouted slogans and squatted at the main entrance to the Assembly as they were denied entry inside when Dr. Singh was submitting his papers. They wanted to know if there was a specific directive from the Election Commission or the Returning Officer banning their entry.
Ministers accompanying Dr. Singh assured them that the Prime Minister would brief them on the Assembly premises. But the mediapersons refused to go inside and insisted that the Prime Minister come out and address them.
As the protest grew, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi came out and said the Prime Minister would come to them to make a statement.
Dr. Singh, in his brief statement, said he was thankful to the people of Assam for his 22-year stint in the Rajya Sabha.
Activists of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) staged a protest in the city, accusing the Prime Minister of not taking the initiative to solve Assam’s problems despite being repeatedly elected to the Rajya Sabha from the State. They paraded 15 activists wearing masks with Dr. Singh’s image, sporting his trademark white attire and holding placards.
The Assam Accord remained unimplemented, the India-Bangladesh border was not sealed, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was not updated and the twin problems of flood and erosion had not been addressed, they said.
The BJP, the Aam Admi Party and the CPI(ML) also staged separate protests, accusing the Prime Minister of ignoring the interests of the State.