BJP, AGP leaders face ULFA (I) threat, security up

Bijay Sankar Bora

Tribune News Service

Sivasagar, March 29

The security of poll candidates and local prominent leaders of the BJP and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) alliance has been tightened further, especially in eastern Assam areas, in view of the proscribed United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) threatening both parties and demanding clarification on issues related to indigenous people and land of Assam.

The ULFA(I), led by fugitive commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, in a statement has threatened the Assam state leadership of the BJP and AGP in case it failed to issue clarification about seven points raised by the outfit. The outfit has warned people against participating in election-related meetings of the BJP-AGP alliance.

Assam DG Mukesh Sahay, however, said adequate security arrangements had been made to thwart any threat to the poll process, including threat, if any, to the poll candidates. Meanwhile, the BJP and the AGP have been stating that this election was the last opportunity to protect the identity of indigenous people of Assam from the ever-increasing number of illegal Bangladeshi migrants who “enjoy patronage” of the Congress and the AIUDF led by Badaruddin Ajmal. Both parties have been holding series of meetings in eastern Assam every day led by Himanta Bishwa Sarmah, ignoring the ULFA(I) threat.

The ULFA(I), which now has influence only in certain pockets of eastern Assam districts bordering Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, have warned the BJP’s state president and chief ministerial candidate Sarbanada Sonowal and star campaigner Himanta Bishwa Sharma for providing party ticket in Margherita LAC to a surrendered ULFA man, Bhaskar Sarmah, who has been accused by the ULFA(I) of being one of main executors of ‘secret killings’ (extra-judicial) of ULFA kin in the late 1990s when the AGP was in power in Assam and BJP-led NDA at the Centre. The ULFA (I) has demanded public apology from these two leaders.

The militant group demanded that the BJP and the AGP should make public the whereabouts of 26 ULFA men who had gone untraced after “Operation All Out” carried out in Bhutan against ULFA in December 2003. The ULFA (I) demanded to know why the BJP leadership had remained silent on a recent derogatory comment made by the BJP MP from Dibrugarh Rameswar Teli.