Assam Women’s Congress Seeks Action Against CM For ‘Close Links’ With Militants

The Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress on Saturday demanded action against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his alleged links with a Manipur-based militant outfit.
     
They sought a "deeper investigation" by the police into the allegations against Sarma as he is holding a constitutional position in a border state.
    
 The women’s wing of the state’s main opposition party, led by its president Mira Borthakur Goswami, submitted a memorandum to the state director general of police in this regard.
    
 It was reported in a section of the media that after his visit to the ethnic violence affected Northeastern state last week, Sarma met representatives of some militant groups from the Kuki community in Guwahati on Sunday night.
     
The state Women’s Congress claimed that a leader of a Kuki militant group has written to the Union Home Minister that his outfit had ‘helped’ the BJP in the 2018 Manipur assembly polls.
     
“The claim made in this letter, which has not been officially disputed, is shocking and chilling,” the state Mahila Congress said in the memorandum.
     
Earlier on Thursday, 12 opposition parties, including Congress, CPI, CPI(M), AAP, and TMC, had demanded the arrest of Sarma under the NSA for his alleged links with Manipur-based militant groups from the Kuki community.
     
The parties had staged a sit-in protest here and condemned Sarma's "closed-door" meeting with leaders of some militant groups from the neighboring state on Sunday.
     
No reactions could be obtained from the Assam Chief Minister, while the state BJP leaders refused to comment claiming that its central leadership was better positioned to speak on the matter.