Guwahati: The opposition parties of Assam on Thursday attacked Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his alleged links with Manipur-based militant groups.
The Congress, CPI(M), AJP, TMC and eight other opposition parties jointly staged a sit-in here demanding that Sarma be charged under the National Security Act (NSA) for “secretly” meeting Kuki militant leaders four days ago.
“We demand that the Central government arrest Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma under the National Security Act,” Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah told PTI at the protest site.
It was reported in a section of the media that after his visit to the ethnic violence affected Northeastern state last week, Sarma met representatives of some militant groups from the Kuki community in Guwahati on Sunday night.
“If the Centre does not act, all these 12 like-minded parties will go to Delhi and meet the President to demand action against the Assam CM,” he added.
The Congress on Wednesday also organised a hunger strike, led by Borah and other senior party leaders, demanding the arrest of the state chief minister.
Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said, “As per the report, the BJP took the help of Kuki militants in the 2017 Assembly polls in Manipur and the saffron party formed its first government in the state.”
TMC’s Assam unit chief Ripun Bora said Sarma is the Convenor of NEDA and if the NEDA Convenor himself “has links with extremist groups”, he is clearly “encouraging” terrorists to operate in the Northeastern states.
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Leaders of the CPI, Raijor Dal, Jatiya Dal-Asom, NCP, RJD, JD(U), AAP and the CPI(ML) also joined the protest.
No comments could be obtained immediately from the chief minister or the BJP as calls made to several leaders remained unanswered.
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