Guwahati: Harried by bigamy charges, which forced him to go to a virtual political exile for more than a year, the former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on February 1 announced a comeback after being cleared of the allegations by the Press Council of India (PCI).

"This is a relief for me and my family that the reputed PCI has cleared me of the charge and warned the 'Sadin' weekly newspaper that published the allegation of my secret marriage to desist from such baseless reporting," Mahanta told a crowded press conference at his residence.

"The PCI has absolved me of the charge for which I relinquished the post of president of the Asom Gana Parishad on September 2001," a relieved Mahanta said.

"Then I had resigned as doubts were created in the minds of the people and within the party about my integrity, but with the PCI ruling I would go afresh to the people and play a positive role as a partyman," he said.

The PCI on January 29 had warned the 'Sadin' weekly newspaper, which published the charge of his secret marriage to an Assembly employee Sanghamitra Bharali in a Mumbai temple, to desist from such "defamatory and baseless" reporting and publish the version of the former Chief Minister within seven days.

Asked if from now on he would take part in "active politics", the former Chief Minister said he was already in politics.

Mahanta avoided a direct question whether he would stake a claim to the presidentship of the party, but only said that he would work with "renewed vigour".

"The party should give a second look to the revelation made by the PCI as this will pave the way for me to play a more crucial role in the party as a dedicated partyman," Mahanta, who was flanked by his wife and former Rajya Sabha member Dr Jayashree Goswami Mahanta, said.

'Sadin' had created sensation as it published a series of reports alleging the "secret marriage" between Mahanta and Bharali.

Bharali later in a statement made to the Assembly speaker had denied that any such marriage had taken place.

Mahanta then filed the case with the PCI, which ruled after hearing that "the reports were unverified, one sided and defamatory" and directed the paper to publish the clarification of the former Chief Minister within a week from January 29.

PTI