Politics comes to the fore in the aftermath of serial blasts

Guwahati, Nov 02 (UNI) In the aftermath of the serial blasts in Assam, hectic activity is being witnessed in political circles as fissures have surfaced within the ruling alliance while the Opposition has ganged up, unnerving the Congress-led government.

The immediate provocation between the main alliance partner Congress and the Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) is an SMS, claiming responsibility for the blasts, which was sent to a local television channel controlled by the family of Assam Health Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The SMS was sent by little known organisation, Islamic Security Force (ISF), which was supposed to have taken root in Bodo areas to fight Bodo militancy since 2002.

This provoked the BPF which came out with all force shocking the Congress government on the day Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was in town for a hurricane visit.

''The whole SMS episode is false and fabricated and politically motivated aiming to create division between Bodos and Muslim settlers of Assam. We want a proper inquiry into the SMS,'' BPF chief Hagrama Mohillary said addressing a press conference.

He alleged that a section was working overtime to reignite the Bodo-Muslim communal tension which saw almost two lakh people displaced just about a month back in the communal riots in Udalguri and Darrang districts.

''I am convinced that there is an ulterior motive behind the whole episode. The basic idea is to deflect the proper investigation,'' BPF MP Sansuma Khungurr Bwismutiary said.

The simmering tension between the BPF and the Congress is now coming to the fore and majority of the BPF MLAs were reportedly not comfortable with their continued alliance with Congress, especially after Udalguri incident.

''Thursday's blasts and the subsequent SMS only reconfirmed that the entire Bodo community is being used for political mileage. I am not comfortable at all with this alliance,'' senior BPF MLA Karendra Basumatary said.

Meanwhile, the BJP and AGP combine was stepping up their campaigning just before the Lok Sabha elections and trying to cash in on the unrest against the Congress government as it had been clueless about the impending attacks.

The AGP took out a protest procession to Raj Bhawan this morning with the entire party leadership taking part in it.

''We will not rest until Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi resigns. What is the need of such a government when the Congress is even scared to mention that there may be possibility of the involvement of jehadi elements. The Congress is defending the perpetrators,'' party president Chandra Mohan Patowary said.

With all the AGP splinter groups coming together and the seat sharing deal between the AGP and BJP sealed, the AGP is confident that this time they will rout the Congress in Lok Sabha poll.

Meanwhile, Congress ministers have still been avoiding the blast sites fearing public backlash for their failure to prevent the blasts and nab the perpetrators.

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