Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday launched an unprecedented attack on three erstwhile Congress Prime Ministers — Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, saying that the top leaders of the grand old party “have been always insensitive towards the northeast”.
He even criticised the former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed for allegedly cutting short his Assam visit during the India-China war in 1962.
Sarma said: “In October 1962, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed came to Assam and went to Tezpur. However, he left from there very quickly and literally fled away, anticipating a Chinese occupation in Tezpur. He did not have a chat with the local people… rather thought of securing himself.”
“Ahmed might have thought that China would be coming here, what his role was in staying there,” he added.
The Assam Chief Minister also criticised Jawaharlal Nehru and claimed that he did not want Indira Gandhi to visit Assam during the volatile situation created by the India-China war, thinking that she might be abducted by the Chinese.
Mentioning the Nellie massacre that took place in Assam’s Nagaon district in February 1983 and claimed around 2,000 lives, Sarma said: “Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi came to Nellie for only five minutes and blamed the Assamese people entirely for the massacre.”
He further said that during the conflict between Bodo and Bengali-speaking Muslims in 2012 in Assam’s Kokrajhar, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid a token visit for just an hour, which could not help to solve the problem.
“The Bodoland region saw unrest in 2008 also, however, Manmohan Singh did not come there then,” Sarma added.
The Assam Chief Minister also blamed the Congress party for the illegal immigrants’ issue and loss of lives during the days of Assam agitation.
“The Assam accord could have been signed in 1979 only and had it been done then, many lives could be saved,” he claimed.
“Due to wrong policies of the Congress party, a large number of Bangladeshi infiltrators had entered Assam. However, we cannot push them back as the neighbouring country would not be ready to accept such a large number of people.”
Sarma further criticised Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for his alleged remark on Bhupen Hazarika after the Assam icon was conferred ‘Bharat Ratna’ — the highest civilian award in the country.
“When Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave Bhupen Hazarika the ‘Bharat Ratna’, Mallikarjun Kharge objected to it and asked why a singer would be given this award,” the Assam Chief Minister said.
–IANS