Guwahati: Assam government on Sunday challenged the Centre to show “commitment” in nabbing NDFB(S) militants responsible for the massacre of Adivasis in the state last year, from the neighbouring nations.
“The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee has dared the BJP regime to show its deep rooted commitment to the people of the state by getting back the main culprits of the massacre of innocent Adivasi people last year sheltered in neighbouring Bhutan and Myanmar,” Congress state unit President Anjan Dutta said in a statement.
He said the Centre should take the necessary steps in this regard “as part of its vibrant ‘Act East Policy’ and restore the confidence of the violence-hit people”.
Dutta alleged that BJP has “skillfully” re-packaged the ‘Look East Policy’ initiated by the UPA government as ‘Act East Policy’. At least 81 persons, including Adivasis were killed in serial attacks by NDFB(S) terrorists, retaliatory violence and police firing across many districts of Assam in December last year. Taking a dig at BJP’s claim of giving special importance to North East and Assam, Dutta urged the opposition to publish a “white paper on the development programmes initiated for Assam and North East during the previous NDA regime led by Atal Behari Vajpayee and the present 8-month old tenure of BJP regime led by Prime Minister Modi”.
Ridiculing the decision to suspend registration of new schemes under North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP) by the Centre, he said, “Abolishing of NEIIPP which was due to expire in 2017 is another illustrious highlight of the ‘Act East Policy’ of the present BJP regime.”
The statement also criticised the Centre’s decision to provide additional funds for 2G telecom services to North East at a time when the region along with the rest of the country is on the threshold of enjoying 4G connectivity. “The present BJP regime cannot be-fool the youths of our region for a long duration by delivering ‘rhetoric’ and ‘nil performance’ and the people of the region will demand an answer as the regime is enjoying seats of power at the Centre by a 31 per cent mandate in the 2014 general elections,” Dutta said. (PTI)
