The killing of five Bengali villagers by suspected extremists in eastern Assam on November 1 has apparently given the Trinamool Congress a window of opportunity to contest the State’s panchayat elections for the first time.
The rural polls are scheduled in January 2019.
Condolence meeting
West Bengal’s Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim flew in to Guwahati on Monday to attend a condolence meeting for the five who were gunned down at Bisonimukh-Kherbari village. The TMC’s State unit had organised the meet.
His was the second visit to the State by the TMC leaders in a week. On November 5, a delegation of four of the party’s lawmakers, including MP Derek O’Brien, had visited Bisonimukh-Kherbari to stand by the victims and provide them assistance.
‘Feeling insecure’
“It is not just the Bengalis that are feeling insecure in Assam under a BJP-led government. Other communities are feeling threatened too,” Mr. Hakim said, criticising the slow progress of the investigation into the killings.
He also said that the TMC would be contesting the panchayat polls where the BJP’s ruling ally Asom Gana Parishad is keen on contesting on its own and the pro-minorities All India United Democratic Front wants to tie up with the Congress to keep the BJP out.
Monday also saw the leaders of the pro-talks faction of the extremist United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) holding a “brotherhood meeting” with some Bengali intellectuals and activists of the State headed by Pradip Sen Sharma.
The Assam government had after the November 1 killings arrested two pro-talks ULFA leaders – Mrinal Hazarika and Jiten Dutta – for provocative statements.
‘Situation deteriorating’
“The situation in Assam is deteriorating due to some misunderstanding among the communities. Some third party is taking advantage to create a violent rift between the Assamese and Bengalis in the State. We met in a bid to iron out the differences,” ULFA leader Anup Chetia said.
“Both groups agreed that the Centre’s move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, has strained the cordial relationship the two communities have been enjoying for decades now,” Mr. Chetia said.
“We can see a deep conspiracy behind the attempts to divide the two communities,” Mr. Sen Sharma said.
