Bangladesh’s move to hand over Anup Chetia, the founder and general secretary of the United Liberation Front of Asom, to India has led to a tug-of-war between the Congress-led Assam government and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government. Both sides want to milk the militant leader’s extradition for political gain ahead of next year’s assembly election in the state.
The Centre was quick to pat itself on the back for securing Chetia’s return after an 18-year diplomatic saga. But Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi promptly went on record to say that the Centre should hand over Chetia to the state authorities as his government had been trying to bring back from Bangladesh for several years.
Gogoi’s remarks were followed by a formal request from the state government to the Union home ministry. Chetia is currently being held by the Central Bureau of Investigation in Delhi. The Assam government has argued that since the ULFA general secretary is wanted in a number of cases in the state, it is only appropriate that Chetia should face the law there.
The Centre has yet to respond to the request. The CBI has got six days’ transit remand of Chetia, who is expected to be produced in a CBI court in Guwahati at a later date. Gogoi wants the state police to take over the case, but that would require the court’s intervention.
Gogoi's game
Successive Indian governments had tried to get Chetia deported from Bangladesh since his arrest there in 1997. However, Dhaka protested that the two countries did not have an extradition treaty. He was eventually handed over to New Delhi on Wednesday after he sent out a written application saying he wished to come back to India.
Now, Chetia has a potentially crucial role to play in peace talks with ULFA. The Centre and the Gogoi government want custody of the militant leader so that they can earn brownie points with Assam’s voters should the talks be successful.
The Assam chief minister faces a tough task in his bid for a fourth consecutive term. The BJP’s popularity has been climbing steadily and Gogoi wants to showcase Chetia’s return and the peace talks with ULFA as his government’s achievements.
Soon after Chetia was handed over to India, Gogoi issued a formal statement expressing hope that the ULFA founder would play an important role in the peace process. The Assam chief minister also suggested that Chetia be released, just as his government had allowed Arabinda Rajkhowa, the leader of ULFA’s pro-talks faction, to walk free with the specific aim of expediting the peace process. The next round of talks is slated for November 24.
Realistic hopes
It is no secret that the Modi government fast-tracked Chetia’s handover keeping the Assam assembly election in mind. The BJP has a realistic chance of dethroning Gogoi, especially after it won half of the 14 seats in Assam in the Lok Sabha election last year and reduced the Congress to just three seats.
The BJP has been working towards expanding its footprint in the North East. A toehold in Assam would help the party spread its influence in the region. If marketed intelligently, the BJP could project Chetia’s return and possible role in the peace talks as a moment of triumph for the Modi government.
While it is busy strengthening itself for the crucial electoral challenge ahead, the BJP is also simultaneously working on weakening the Congress. With Gogoi yet to recover from the Lok Sabha election setback, he was dealt another blow recently when his confidant and former health and education minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, crossed over to the BJP. Sarma also persuaded nine legislators and hundreds of Congress workers to join the BJP.
Given how the odds are stacked up against him, it is not surprising that Gogoi want to use all the props he can lay his hands on to retain Assam. And the chief minister obviously believes that Chetia can help him in this mission.
The Centre was quick to pat itself on the back for securing Chetia’s return after an 18-year diplomatic saga. But Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi promptly went on record to say that the Centre should hand over Chetia to the state authorities as his government had been trying to bring back from Bangladesh for several years.
Gogoi’s remarks were followed by a formal request from the state government to the Union home ministry. Chetia is currently being held by the Central Bureau of Investigation in Delhi. The Assam government has argued that since the ULFA general secretary is wanted in a number of cases in the state, it is only appropriate that Chetia should face the law there.
The Centre has yet to respond to the request. The CBI has got six days’ transit remand of Chetia, who is expected to be produced in a CBI court in Guwahati at a later date. Gogoi wants the state police to take over the case, but that would require the court’s intervention.
Gogoi's game
Successive Indian governments had tried to get Chetia deported from Bangladesh since his arrest there in 1997. However, Dhaka protested that the two countries did not have an extradition treaty. He was eventually handed over to New Delhi on Wednesday after he sent out a written application saying he wished to come back to India.
Now, Chetia has a potentially crucial role to play in peace talks with ULFA. The Centre and the Gogoi government want custody of the militant leader so that they can earn brownie points with Assam’s voters should the talks be successful.
The Assam chief minister faces a tough task in his bid for a fourth consecutive term. The BJP’s popularity has been climbing steadily and Gogoi wants to showcase Chetia’s return and the peace talks with ULFA as his government’s achievements.
Soon after Chetia was handed over to India, Gogoi issued a formal statement expressing hope that the ULFA founder would play an important role in the peace process. The Assam chief minister also suggested that Chetia be released, just as his government had allowed Arabinda Rajkhowa, the leader of ULFA’s pro-talks faction, to walk free with the specific aim of expediting the peace process. The next round of talks is slated for November 24.
Realistic hopes
It is no secret that the Modi government fast-tracked Chetia’s handover keeping the Assam assembly election in mind. The BJP has a realistic chance of dethroning Gogoi, especially after it won half of the 14 seats in Assam in the Lok Sabha election last year and reduced the Congress to just three seats.
The BJP has been working towards expanding its footprint in the North East. A toehold in Assam would help the party spread its influence in the region. If marketed intelligently, the BJP could project Chetia’s return and possible role in the peace talks as a moment of triumph for the Modi government.
While it is busy strengthening itself for the crucial electoral challenge ahead, the BJP is also simultaneously working on weakening the Congress. With Gogoi yet to recover from the Lok Sabha election setback, he was dealt another blow recently when his confidant and former health and education minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, crossed over to the BJP. Sarma also persuaded nine legislators and hundreds of Congress workers to join the BJP.
Given how the odds are stacked up against him, it is not surprising that Gogoi want to use all the props he can lay his hands on to retain Assam. And the chief minister obviously believes that Chetia can help him in this mission.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!