Police admission of fresh ULFA recruitment proves govt failed

With police officers admitting that youths were once again joining the outlawed ULFA(I), it has been proved that the BJP-led government in the state has failed to protect the interest of the state, opposition leader in Assam assembly Debabrata Saikia said Wednesday.

Police officers have recently admitted that growing public sentiment against the Centre's move to amend the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 has given a "fresh lease of life" to ULFA (Independent) that has started recruiting youths again, Saikia said in a statement.

The police officers included state DGP (Special Branch), Tinsukia superintendent of police and others, the senior Congress leader said.

"The admission by senior police officials is nothing short of a confirmation of the Sarbananda Sonowal-led Assam government's failure to protect Assam's interests and its tendency to betray people," he said.

ULFA's popularity had gradually waned during the past decade-and-a-half when the Congress was in power but the Narendra Modi government's decision to table the controversial bill and Sonowal administration's failure to oppose it are leading a section of young boys and girls to take up arms again, Saikia said.

The proposed amendment to the Citizenship Bill, 1955 seeksto grant citizenship to people from minority communities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 even if they don't possess any proper document.

A large section of people and organisations in the Northeast have opposed the bill, saying it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971 as the cut off date for deportation of all illegal immigrants irrespective of religion.

Dwindling employment opportunities and stagnation of development activities like the MGNREGA are also creating frustration and resentment among the youths, who are moving towards the ULFA (Independent), he said.

Saikia cautioned that Assam would slide back to the days of violence and lack of development if the government led by Sonowal does not take immediate steps to stop it.

Sonowal keeps talking about zero tolerance towards corruption but the chief minister is only engaged in superficial whitewashing, the opposition leader said.

"(Sonowal) has been unable to muster the courage to conduct a CBI inquiry into the widespread reports of several syndicates operating in the state to smuggle coal, stone, sand, dried areca nut among others," he added.

Similarly, the CM has remained a spectator to the woes of the health sector, including crib deaths in medical colleges of Barpeta and Jorhat and supply of contaminated medicines which was admitted by the government in the House, Saikia said.