PM files RS papers 5th time from Assam

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh filed his nomination for a fifth consecutive term in the Rajya Sabha here on Wednesday. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, who is in charge of Assam, accompanied the Prime Minister, whose fourth term in the upper house ends next month.

Manmohan Singh arrived at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in the morning and headed straight for the State Assembly to file his papers. There was some trouble with student bodies and political parties hoisting black flags and staging demonstrations for what they said were his failure to bring development to Assam and fulfil his commitments.

Media personnel also staged a protest and raised slogans outside the Assembly premises after they were barred from covering the programme. The Prime Minister, however, later came towards the journalists and thanked the people of Assam for continuously electing him to the Rajya Sabha for all these years.

He assured that his effort would be to do all he could for the State's development. He then left for the airport. The current term of the two Rajya Sabha members representing Assam �Manmohan Singh and Asom Gana Parishad's (AGP) Kumar Deepak Das � ends on June 14.