As the second and final phase of polling is underway in Assam, here is an exclusive interview with incumbent Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on the issue of secret killings in the state.
“Will they ever forget Godhra, Nellie or the 1993 Mumbai blasts? Whenever there is a major incident people will always talk about it,” says Tarun Gogoi, Assam Chief Minister.
Speaking exclusively to The Quint, this was the Assam Chief Minister’s response when he was asked why he’s raking up the issue of secret killing in this elections.
Between 1998-2001 almost 850 people were killed in Assam by unidentified gunmen. The victims were relatives, friends and sympathisers of ULFA insurgents. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) was in power in the state then. Tarun Gogoi alleges that both the AGP in the state and the BJP in the centre were responsible for these extra judicial killings.
Is BJP Polarising the Assam Elections?
The three-time CM also accuses the BJP of polarising the electorate along religious lines. “According to them all Muslims are foreigners”, Tarun Gogoi accuses the BJP of targeting the muslims of Assam by labelling them Bangladeshis. Thirty-four percent of the state’s population are Muslims and it is this political constituency that Mr Gogoi wants to impress.
Those people who have adopted Assam as their motherland, even they are being called foreigners. I agree that those who are illegal foreigners, they should be deported.
Former Colleagues, Now Rivals
Though the CM’s biggest headache has been former Congressmen like Himanta Biswa Sarma who are now with the BJP, he tries his best to sound unruffled.
It’s a blessing in disguise that he left us. He messed up the unity of the Congress party. He tried to split the party. Former Congressman and now BJP Convener of the Election Management Committee, Himanta Biswa sarma is number one in any destructive work.
Will Gogoi Be Fourth Time Lucky?
Opinion polls indicate that the Congress will win 35 to 40 seats, down from their current tally of 68. Tarun Gogoi likes to think otherwise and perhaps hopes to become the chief minister of Assam for the fourth time.
“I have been telling all along that we’ll be getting absolute majority,” said Tarun Gogoi.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)