Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today accused the NDA government at the Centre of "conniving" with his predecessor Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) government for the secret killings in the state.
"There was secret killing of innocent youths in Assam when Prafulla Mahanta (AGP) was in power and the BJP government was ruling at the Centre," claimed Gogoi at a press meet here today.
"Why was no instruction given then by the Centre to the state government to stop the killings? Because it was with the NDA government's connivance that the secret killings happened in Assam," he alleged.
Mocking BJP president Amit Shah who was at Kokrajhar to attend a function to mark Bodo Accord Day yesterday, Gogoi said he (Shah) had in his public speeches expressed concern over killing of rhinos but did not mention the secret killings.
"Shah giving importance to rhino killings is good but he made no mention of the 150 people who died in the floods here last year. Human life has no value for BJP," the chief minister said.
Extra judicial killings, popularly referred to in Assam as 'secret killings' were reported between 1998-2001 when relatives, friends and sympathisers of ULFA militants were assassinated by unidentified gunmen.
Mahanta was chief minister at the time and in-charge of the home ministry, with the AGP government always rejecting the accusation.
Gogoi said Shah's coming down to meet Bodo Peoples Front chief Hagrama Mohilary made the latter a bigger leader than the BJP president and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
"Hagrama comes to meet me here in Guwahati and not the other way round", the Chief Minister said.
Referring to Shah's promise to fulfill Mohilary's demand for Rs 1,000 crore for development of BTADC, he said "Let the Bodos get the money, but why not give funds for welfare of other tribal groups and backward communities in the state".
"I will write to the Prime Minister on it. Whatever amount and whenever the Centre has announced for Bodoland, I will give Rs 100 crore additional amount to it," he added.
