BJP to blame for mishandling Assam-Mizoram border issues: Congress

GUWAHATI: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has strongly condemned BJP's statement blaming the party for fomenting tension along the Assam-Mizoram border.
APCC working president Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and president of the All India Mahila Congress and ex-MP, Sushmita Dev, on Tuesday criticized the BJP government for its ‘mishandling of border issues’ and ‘failing to maintain law and order’.
“The fact that the Assam and Mizoram police resorted to violent clashes the very next day of meeting the Union home minister showed how seriously the northeastern chief ministers had treated that meeting. An exponent of divisive politics, it's the BJP which is fueling hatred and infighting in the northeast," read a statement by the two Congress leaders from the Barak Valley where the skirmishes took place.
Referring to the BJP statement that ‘external force’ was involved in the attack, the APCC said if this were true, then it would be a matter of concern as home minister Amit Shah is answerable for this ‘intelligence lapse’. The APCC has also demanded a judicial enquiry into the matter.
Sushmita Dev maintained that the attack on the Assam Police is a total failure of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the northeast version of NDA. Both the ruling BJP in Assam and the Mizo National Front in Mizoram are part of NEDA and NDA. "Assam chief minister and NEDA convenor, Himanta Biswa Sarma, is responsible for this deterioration in relationships among states in this region,” alleged Sushmita and changed the acronym NEDA to North East Disaster Alliance.
"The BJP leadership's concern for NE India is proved from the fact that both PM Modi-ji and home minister Amit Shah have refrained from making any public statement for the people of NE India in this critical time. The only direct reference to the northeast in their tweets was on 28 July when the PM shared the ‘wonderful news’ about the Bhoot Jolokia chilli from Nagaland reaching London!" Congress said.
Both the Congress leaders condemned the response of the Assam government and demanded a public apology from chief minister Sarma for his statement on surrendering Barak Valley and parts of Assam up to Guwahati and Nalbari to Mizoram if the Centre wants. The APCC leadership accused the BJP of making such hollow statements to cover up their own lapses, failure to resolve border disputes and to create confusion among the public for their ‘narrow political motive’.
"The fact remains that the Assam government filed an FIR for murder of six policemen and the people of Assam still need to know who is responsible directly and indirectly for these deaths," read the Congress statement.
“It’s not an issue that impacts two CMs who can play games with FIRs and indulge in mud-slinging through Twitter but the interests of two states. Accountability is a must in democracy. Who is accountable here for the deaths and encroachment on Assam’s land?” the Congress questioned.