Former Assam Chief Minister and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta came down heavily on Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Reacting to Sarma’s statement on ‘secret killings’ in Assam, Mahanta said that the Assam Minister took “help” of the militant outfit United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) to “murder Congress leader Manabendra Sarma”.
Congress leader and Assam Indian National Trade Union Congress president, Sarma was shot dead in Guwahati in February 1991.
Addressing a press meet in Guwahati on December 26th, 2019, Mahanta said, “He killed Manabendra Sarma in nexus with the ULFA. He was mentioned as the prime accused in case diary. To save his life, he approached Hiteshwar Saikia and joined Congress. The court has given me a clean cheat in secret killing episode.”
He added, “He betrayed All Assam Students’ Union, Congress and in coming days, he will betray Bharatiya Janata Party too.”
The secret killings took place between 1998 and 2001 during AGP president Mahanta’s second term as chief minister. In September 2018, the Gauhati high court quashed constitution of the KN Saikia commission that had held Mahanta responsible for secret killings of family members of ULFA militants almost two decades ago.
Mahanta also mentioned that protest against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).
“People belonging to the religious minority groups are not tortured in Bangladesh. Compared to the last few years, the number of Durga Puja pandals have increased in that country,” he said.
He further added, “We will not allow dividing the AGP. We were criticised for protesting against the CAA. Today, the entire state is protesting against the citizenship law.”
Photo: @smitaranideka