Assam: Cong rakes up 'secret killing' issue

The dark phase of 'secret killings' or extra-judicial killings on kin of members of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) that occurred in Assam when Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) was in power in the state and the BJP was in the Centre is back to haunt the AGP-BJP combine during electioneering with the Congress raking up the issue to corner the rivals.

Senior Congress leader and Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said the people of Assam hadn't forgotten the black phase in the state's history when kin of militants were systematically eliminated by unidentified assailants in gross violation of fundamental rights of people.

"There is scope to doubt that those secret killings were carried out in connivance with the then state government and central government. Otherwise,  why the then  union home minister L K Advani who now sheds crocodile's tears for Assam during electioneering, failed to stop those killings," Gogoi said.

In response to Advani's attack on the Congress for failing to even mention about the burning problem of infiltration from Bangladesh to the country through Assam in its poll manifesto, Gogoi said, "The BJP-AGP bring up the issue over infiltration from Bangladesh  during polls to  cash in on the emotion of the people attached to the issue. Once the election is over, they forget the issue till the next election. The BJP and the AGP must tell the people of Assam what their governments at the Centre and the State did to solve the problem."

"The people of Assam haven't forgotten that the erstwhile NDA government did not come to rescue of previous AGP government when the state was in the grip of serious financial crisis during 1996-2001. There was no development, employees were plagued by irregular payment of salaries," Gogoi said, exuding confidence that people will vote for Congress in Assam because of the era of development it has ushered in  the state during last eight years.

Meanwhile, AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta who was the chief minister of the state when alleged 'secret killings' took place, asked Tarun Gogoi to make clear what action his government had so far taken on recommendations of Justice (retd) K N Saikia Commission that probed some specific incidents of alleged secret killings on being appointed by the Congress government.

He said the chief minister Gogoi was just trying to keep the issue over 'secret killing' live to gain political mileage during polls as none of the Commissions appointed by the government so far to inquire into those incident could clearly indict any body.