Three women legislators in Asom House

Guwahati, May 22 (UNI) There are three women legislators in the newly-elected 12th Asom Assembly for whom politics happens to be a career by accident and not by choice.

Congress MLAs Mrs Jonjonali Baruah, social welfare minister Mrs Ajanta Neog and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) legislator, Mrs Alaka Desai Sharma probably wouldn't have been in the Assam Assembly if insurgents had not killed politician husbands.

Militants from the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) had killed Mrs Baruah's husband Late Khirode Baruah, a Congress leader and businessman from Morigaon in Assam. Same was the case with Mrs. Neog's husband Late Nagen Neog, a former Congress minister. Mrs Desai's husband, Late Nagen Sharma was the state PWD minister in the last AGP ministry (1996-2001) when he was killed in an ULFA triggered explosion.

They are now going to sit in the House along with a few other MLAs who were of the same ilk as those responsible for killing of their husbands. The new Assembly has turned out to be a meeting point of some former militants and direct victims of insurgency like these three widows of politicians.

There are six former hardcore insurgents, two of them from the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and four were leaders in the disbanded Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), who have been elected to the Assembly this time.

Independent legislators Kushal Duwari and Jiten Gogoi had joined ULFA to ''liberate Assam'' and to facilitate rapid development of the state and its people.

However, they later came back after realising the futility of armed struggle and value of the democratic system. They have been elected to Assam House from Bokakhat and Thowra constituencies.

At least four former top leaders of the now disbanded Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) are among the 12 MLAs belonging to Bodoland People's Progressive Front(H) whose support was vital for the Congress to retain power.

Former deputy chief of the BLT, Chandan Brahma, former district- level commanders of the group Chandi Basumatary, Moneswar Brahma and Moheswar Boro have been elected to Assam Assembly from Sidli, Tamulpur, Barama and Kalaigaon constituencies.

Chandan Brahma has been made the minister of Transport, Panchayat and Rural Development. The erstwhile BLT had launched an insurgent movement in late 1990s demanding a separate state for Bodo tribe. It shot to headlines after triggering a explosion in New Delhi bound Brahmaputra mail in 1996 that killed 34 people and crippled many more for life.

It killed 291 civilians and 21 securitymen during its armed struggle before agreeing to sign the second Bodo Peace Accord with the centre in 2003.

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