Centre, Agp At Loggerheads Over Assam Militancy

The ruling Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in Assam is the latest regional grouping within the United Front (UF) to be sore with the dispensation led by Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. Of the partys five MPs in the Lok Sabha, two are ministers.

The immediate provocation is the difference of perception between the AGP government and the Centre on the recent spurt in militant activity in Bodo areas. The Union home ministry is of the view that the state authorities are not doing enough to check violence in the strategically vital area affected by Bodo militancy.

Apart from the blast in the Brahmaputra Mail, there have been several incidents which have snapped vital communication links with the north-eastern states, as well as within the north-east region. Law and order is a state subject.

The Prafulla Kumar Mahanta government has claimed that the small security force is a setback to the operation to tackle militancy in the state. Mahanta, who also holds the home portfolio, had reiterated his demand before Union home secretary K Padmanabhaiah for more forces.

This is, however, countered by the Centre. Padmanabhaiah, currently on a visit to Guwahati, on Thursday contended that Assam has sufficient security forces. It is for the state government to tackle the situation with the available forces. Mahanta is also said to be upset with Gowda regarding the controversy over the promised repeal of Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983.

Gowdas promise to repeal the Act not only embarrassed him, but also led to an open display of differences between him and his former deputy, Bhrigu Kumar Phukan. The Phukan-led AGP group charged Mahanta with soft-pedalling an issue on which the former students had come to power after the six-year agitation against foreign nationals.

During a recent visit to New Delhi, Mahanta raised the issue of implementation of the Assam accord. Is the Union home minister sincere in his efforts to implement the accord?, he said. AGP sources said the Chief Minister was also sore that despite a friendly government at the Centre, the states financial problems had not been sorted out.

The problems mainly relate to the state having to pay for the deployment of security forces during the last five years.

The AGP government had submitted a detailed memorandum on the financial issues during Gowdas visit to Assam, but party sources said they had not been redressed as yet. They point out that during the earlier Hiteswar Saikia government, the states financial problems had always received a favourable response since former Union finance minister Manmohan Singh was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam.