GUWAHATI, Dec. 30: A delegation of Opposition MLAs and party leaders on Tuesday visited Kheroni in West Karbi Anglong and met various groups affected by the recent violence in the area.
The delegation comprising leaders of the Congress, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), Raijor Dal, CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML) was led by Leader of the Opposition in Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA), Debabrata Saikia.
“Following an on-the-spot inquiry into the violent incidents that occurred in West Karbi Anglong district, a delegation of Opposition political parties will meet the Assam Governor on Wednesday and submit a memorandum demanding an inquiry into the violent incidents in the district,” Saikia said.
He alleged that the state government has failed to control the law-and-order situation, as a result of which two persons lost their lives in Kheroni and several others were injured.
“The demands will be raised for providing compensation as per rules to the families of the deceased and injured, and for conducting an inquiry into the losses caused by the violent incidents and extending relief to the affected persons,” the ALA leader said.
The visiting delegation comprised Congress MLAs, Shivamani Bora, Bhaskar Baruah, Diganta Barman, Wajed Ali Choudhury, Nurul Huda, Rashid Mandal, Rekibuddin Ahmed, Pradip Sarkar; CPI(M) MLA Manoranjan Talukdar; Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi; senior AJP leader Jagadish Bhuyan; CPI(ML) leader Bibek Das besides other senior Opposition party leaders.
The joint delegation, after concluding the on-the-spot visit, alleged that there was a political conspiracy behind the incident.
The Opposition parties further alleged that the policy of “divide and rule” was being pursued by creating divisions between hills and plains and among different communities and tribes solely for vote-bank interests.
Meanwhile, interacting with the media, members of the joint delegation said that while the BJP demands President’s Rule over even minor incidents in West Bengal, it has not taken any concrete steps despite Assam being engulfed in violence.
They alleged that the Assam government and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) have completely failed to handle the situation.
Saikia further alleged that widespread irregularities and rampant corruption by KAAC chief executive member Tuliram Ronghang have led to an anarchic situation in the district.
“The PGR–VGR land issue must be examined in detail while carrying out evictions, and that the incident of arson at Tuliram Ronghang’s residence, as well as the subsequent demolition of the house by bulldozers by members of Ronghang’s family, should also be brought under the purview of the investigation,” he stated.
