Gogoi admits failure to unmask 'secret' killers

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, March 11: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today raked up the issue of "secret killings" which allegedly took place during the AGP government, but at the same time admitted that he has "failed to find out" the perpetrators of the episode.

Addressing a press conference here, Gogoi, however, insisted that the killings would not have been possible without the connivance of Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, the then Chief Minister, and the Central government.

"The perpetrators had their faces covered. That is why it was difficult to identify them," he said.

"If Mahanta is not involved, why doesn't he challenge it…why doesn't he file a defamation suit in the court," Gogoi argued.

When pointed out that the Congress had made the "secret killings" one of the core issues even during the 2001 elections, Gogoi retorted, "Why will I not make it an issue? They killed so many innocent youths."

"The KN Saikia Commission had also reported the killings," he said.

"Secret killings during Mahanta's rule was a blot on Assam's history and both the AGP in the State and BJP-led NDA government at the Centre during that period were equally responsible for the killing of innocent people," Gogoi said.

Gogoi said that though his government had failed to identify the culprits, it had stopped all such killings.

Gogoi further accused the AGP and the BJP of being "power hungry" and entering into an "opportunistic alliance to serve their selfish aspirations."

"Mahanta had said in a statement that Prime Minister rendra Modi had not delivered on Assam's promises and then why did his party join hands with the BJP?" Gogoi asked.

"I keep saying that Modi has failed to deliver, but now his own alliance partner is saying the same thing. So this proves that both our allegations are correct," he said.

Gogoi said the Congress's fight in the assembly elections in Assam will be against the unfair treatment the State has received at the hands of the Central government and Prime Minister rendra Modi.

"Our fight in the April polls is going to be against the wrong policies of the BJP-led tiol Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and Prime Minister Modi and the injustice meted out to the State," Gogoi said.

He also dared the BJP MPs to make public whatever they did for Assam during the last two years. When asked to comment on the BJP's pitting Kamakhya Tasa against him in Titabor, Gogoi said, "If I have done good work in Titabor and people are happy, they would vote for me. I just want to wish good luck to Tasha."

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