Gills Assam Posting Remains Uncertain

The issue of appointing former Punjab DGP KPS Gill as the security adviser to the Assam government continues to be uncertain in view of opposition to the move from within the ruling AGP. There is also a reiteration of Jawaharlal Nehrus opinion that too many outsiders should not be posted in the trouble-torn region.

Gill told Home TV in an interview that he had no idea when he would be appointment. He was also not sure if he would at all go to Assam. If advice is needed and they call upon me to give advice, Ill go there, he said. He, however, said there was a task to be performed in the state, but did not know how he would fit into the official team entrusted with the task.

Former Assam governor Bhishma Narain Singh would not comment on the likelihood of Gills appointment, but recalled Nehrus words: We cannot allow matters to drift in the tribal areas, or just not take interest in them. In the world of today that is not possible or desirable. At the same time we should avoid over-administering these areas and, in particular, sending too many outsiders into the tribal territory. It is between these two extreme position that we have to function.

Singh, who was instrumental in the signing of the 1985 Assam accord and was popular in the state during his governorship, feels that a military solution will not work in the state. Any comprehensive solution should involve a stop to the influx of people from across the borders, removing the feeling of alienation among the people and also checking ISIs activities gthere.

The announcement of Rs 6100 crore economic package for the region should not remain an announcement only. Peace and development should go hand in hand.

We seem to believe in fire-fighting, and take a casual approach once the fire in the region is doused. There has to be a continuous approach to make the region prosperous and peaceful. An ad-hoc approach cannot succeed there, he told `Business Standard.

Singh regrets that the Assam accord and the 1993 Bodoland accord has not been implemented yet. It is a contractual obligation on the part of the Centre and the state government to implement these, he says. Such casual approach to important agreements leads to a crisis of confidence among the people, and ultimately leads to militancy, he says.