Connived in ‘secret killings’ of kin of ULFA leaders


Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday alleged that there were reasons to believe that the Home Ministry during the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime had “connived” with the Prafulla Kumar Mahanta-led Assam government to carry out ‘secret killing’ of family members of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) leaders and others in the State.

Mr. Gogoi told journalists here that the fact that the NDA government had not tried to stop the secret killings during the AGP rule gave rise to this suspicion.

Reacting to allegation by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani that the Congress had ignored the infiltration problem by not including it in the poll manifesto, Mr. Gogoi said issues like development, unemployment, education, floods and health were the priorities for the Congress. “We are not giving topmost priority to infiltration,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the entire focus of Mr. Advani’s election campaign in the State was the infiltration problem as if there were no other issues.

Accusing the BJP of “communalising” the foreigners’ problem, Mr. Gogoi said the party considered the Hindu foreigners as refugees. “A foreigner is a foreigner. He or she cannot be distinguished on the basis of religion,” the Chief Minister said.

Refuting Mr. Advani’s allegation that the Congress-led governments at the Centre had been neglecting Assam, he claimed that compared to the NDA rule, the State got more projects and assistance during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. During the NDA tenure, Assam got Rs. 495.25 crore under the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) as against Rs. 1,602 crore during the UPA regime.