AGP won through ULFA support: PCG member

Guwahati, Jan 22 (UNI) A PCG member today alleged that Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) had won power for its second term in 1996 through pact with the outfit.

People's Consultative Group (PCG), an ULFA-nominated group to mediate with the government, member Lachit Bordoloi said Mr Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, then leading the AGP, had become the chief minister for the second time after an understanding with the ULFA.

Mr Bordoloi was deposing before the Justice K N Saikia Commission, probing the 'secret killings' in which ULFA activists' families and others were killed by hired killers, allegedly by the state government.

The Commission was hearing the case of Babul Engti of Nagaon. The case is among those taken up by the Commission from the lot submitted by the Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity (MASS) for further probe.

Mr Bordoloi is a leader of the MASS, a group alleged to have links with the ULFA and working as its 'over ground' unit.

Mr Bordoloi claimed that Mr Mahanta had approached the grassroots-level ULFA members before the 1996 Assembly polls and assured them of talks if they helped him win power in Dispur.

But after his party's victory and on pressure from the Centre to step up offensive against the outfit, Mr Mahanta went back on his word and chances of talks were wiped out, the PCG member said.

He said, ''The post of an IGP (Operations) was created and with G N Srivastava in the post, the government unleashed terror.'' He claimed that a surrendered ULFA (SULFA) leader had confessed before him that the latter was instructed to kill Mr Bordoloi.

''When the SULFA member refused, he was beaten up by the police.

SULFA leaders Jugal Kishore Mahanta and Mridul Phukan led the SULFA members in killing the ULFA members' families,'' he added.

The present Congress government is also facing allegations of retaining power in the second in the last elections through pact with ULFA.

UNI