The State Government's statement in the Assembly yesterday that there was no evidence of any ISI activities in the State has snowballed into a major controversy, with the Opposition taking the government to task over what it terms as an attempt to mislead and misinform the House. Normal business came to a halt in the House for more than 40 minutes today as ruling and Opposition members entered into a pitched argument over Minister of State for Home Rockybul Hussain's remarks yesterday.
It may be recalled here that Hussain, in a written reply to AGP member Jagadish Bhuyan's question yesterday, had declared that the State Government possessed no direct evidence about the presence of ISI operatives in Assam. Incidentally, as per State Government figures for the number of militants arrested between 1998 and 2004, a Hizb-ul-Mujaheddin (HuM) militant had been arrested. It may be mentioned here that there is documentary evidence of HuM's close links with Pakistan's external intelligence arm.
Today in the House, charging that the State Government had been hushing up crucial evidence to mislead members, the Opposition leaders took the government to task, and AGP, BJP and PLP members walked out of the House in protest.
After walking out of the House, a team of AGP and BJP members drove over to Raj Bhawan to meet with the Governor, and appealed for his intervention in what they felt was a very sensitive issue regarding the ISI. Charging that the State Government was playing hide-and- seek regarding accurate information, the Opposition members speculated that the government's attitude compelled them to doubt the unity and security of Assam under the present government.
Today at the start of the Question Hour in the House, Opposition leaders including Brindaban Goswami, Zoiinath Sharma and Hitendranath Goswami, raising the ISI activities' issue, pointed out that answering to a similar question on July 12, the government had stated then that there was evidence of ISI activities. However, the Opposition members pointed out that yesterday the Home Minister had replied that there was no evidence of ISI activities. Moreover, the Opposition members pointed out, the answer by the government on July 12 had been torn off from the answer sheet yesterday. The Opposition members questioned why the government was hiding evidence of ISI activities and charged that the government was actually being pressurized by the ISI. AGP member Dilip Saikia went on to demand that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi be dismissed and arrested on charges of anti-national activities.
Congress members opposed the Opposition's remarks, with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bharat Narah stating that the government had full right to modify its answers to the House. AGP members shot back that the government was intentionally hiding information.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Rockybul Hussain declared that the answer he had given the House yesterday should be accepted as correct. "I had mentioned yesterday that here is no evidence of ISI activities. This does not mean that there is no indirect evidence of ISI activities. The last time, I had pointed out the activities of the MULTA and mujaheeddin groups," Hussain remarked.
However, when the chaos refused to die down, the Speaker stopped proceedings for 10 minutes, and Bharat Narah, Brindaban Goswami and BJP leader Bimalangshu Roy met at the Speaker's chamber to sort out the matter. When the session resumed, the Speaker announced that the Home Minister would inquire into the causes of confusion among the members on the issue. However, the Opposition wanted a statement from the Chief Minister on the issue, and walked out in protest.
Later, AGP leader Brindaban Goswami
told pressmen outside the House that the "dangerous game the Tarun Gogoi
government is playing over the ISI issue might be dangerous for the people
of Assam in future."