However, Mahanta was incensed by the minister's behaviour at a function in connection with the golden jubilee celebrations of a high school in his home district, Nagaon, on Saturday. It is learnt that Bora, in an allegedly inebriated state, walked up to the stage when Mahanata was speaking and when local Congress MLA Sahidul Islam tried to stop him, Bora slapped him -- in full public view. Fisheries minister Budul Das tried to intervene but he too was physically assaulted.

An embarrassed Mahanta immediately cut short his speech and walked out. Bora then walked up to the podium, took hold of the microphone, and started singing a song, at the same time also trying to dance to the tune. By that time, the audience, mostly students, had started hurling slippers and shoesat the minister, and it took several minutes for Bora's personal securitymen to physically lift him and take him to his car.

Bora has been admitted to a city nursing home. When contacted by The Indian Express, he refused to react to the Chief Minister's decision.``It is the CM's prerogative,'' he said.

This incidentally is not the first time that the antics of the food and civil supplies minister got him headlines in the local media. Last year he was in the news for allegedly hurling abuses at the audience at a function in Rabindra Bhavan here.

Four days ago, he created a similar scene at Nehru Stadium, when he was attending a prize distribution ceremony of a sports competition, again allegedly in a drunken state.

Last year he hit headlines for allegedly misbehaving with a lady journalist.Interestingly, Bora was one of the most trusted persons of the Chief Minister till a year ago, when Mahanta cut his wings by removing him from the post of party spokesman.

The recent ``misdemeanors'' by theminister had only added to the tottering image of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).While most of the incidents reported in the media were occurring in functions where Mahanta was not present, the Chief Minister had a first-hand taste of Bora's antics on Saturday, which prompted him to ``relieve'' him. Bora had not been keeping good health for several months, and had to be hospitalised on several occasions in both Guwahati and New Delhi.