BJP alleges Congress hand in Assam blast

Guwahati, Nov 26 (UNI) The BJP today accused the Congress of having a hand in the serial blasts in Assam on October 30, which left more than 80 people dead.

Releasing a series of photographs of the main accused Bimal Mushary with several top-most leaders of the Assam state Congress, BJP national vice-president Bijoya Chakravarty and MP Rajen Gohain alleged that the Congress had a definite hand in the blast.

The main accused, Bimal Musahary, is a Congress activist and very close to Assam Revenue Minister Dr Bhumidhar Burman, who is also the seniormost in the Cabinet after Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

''These photos clearly show that mastermind of the blast Musahary was patronised by state leaders like Dr Bhumidhar Burman and state general secretary Haren Das. These are not private photos but all of them are from public functions,'' Mr Rajen Gohain said, while addressing a news conference.

He asserted to raise the matter on the floor of Parliament when it reassembles after the recess.

''It is a very serious matter. The Congress has a clear agenda and they want to lay the blame on a particular tribe for all the violence in Assam while protecting its own vote bank,'' Mrs Chakravarty said.

Police has already arrested Bimal Mushahary and has been consistently maintaining that Bodo militants were behind the blasts and a dozen of them were also rounded up, but the confusion has not been cleared yet.

''The investigation has been politically handled by Congress.

They somehow want to protect the Jehadi elements for their vote bank. They had been doing it since the last Udalgiri communal violence and masterminded it to happen in such a manner that during the election the Muslim votes come in their favour,'' Mr Gohain said.

He alleged that Jehadi elements were constantly being encouraged by Congress ministers like Rakibul Husain and said the minister had done so to win the vote bank. However, he did not furnish any proof on this statement.

''The Congress, for the sake of power, has compromised national security. Now what more proof do you need when the main culprit of the Assam blast was a Congress functionary,'' Mrs Chakravarty said.

Meanwhile, Congress, on the defensive, admitted that Musahary was a Congress Seva Dal office bearer but he was no longer with the party.

''He was a Congress Seva Dal leader but was no longer with us,'' Assam government spokesman Pradyut Bardoloi said.

However, Mushahary's family members admitted that he was fully involved with the Congress and produced certificates. His wife alleged that ''in this hour of crisis, the party abandoned my husband after using him''.

The Congress had been alleging that BJP and RSS activists were involved in instigating mob violence at the sites after the blasts.

''This is false. I arrived on the scene almost ten minutes after the blast. As a former MP I was supposed to be there and I had gone there. No public leaders dared to come there for more than hour.

Yes, I voiced the same feeling as that of the thousands of others that this government failed to protect,'' Mrs Chakravarty said.

The Congress had alleged that Mrs Chakravarty had tried to storm the Assam capital complex with the charred bodies of the victims, which allegedly sparked the mob violence.

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