Protests rocked different parts of the State on Wednesday after a television channel reported a nexus between the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and Bangladesh-based Jehadi forces.
AIUDF chief Badaruddin Ajmal on Wednesday termed the allegation as evil design to damage the party and his personal image. A national news channel had on Tuesday reported that the IB had found links between the AIUDF and Jehadis and said that the AIUDF had sent youths from Assam to Bangladesh for training which fuelled the protests against the AIUDF and several organisations burnt the effigies of AIUDF chief and shouted slogans against the party.
The perfume baron, who had started the AIUDF in 2005, said that he is contemplating legal options against the news channel, which had telecast the news while quoting a ‘report’ that the AIUDF had links with the Bangladesh based Jehadi forces.
“We are a secular political party and we have never supported any terrorist activities in the past. It’s a baseless allegation and we are seeking legal ways to challenge the news channel to prove the allegations,” said Ajmal while interacting with the newsmen.
Ajmal, who is also the president of Assam chapter of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, said he will be going to New Delhi with a nine-member delegation to meet the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the President over the issue.
“I doubt the authenticity of the report, which was quoted by the news channel. There was no signature by any authority in the report, which was shown by the television channel. The reported matter is related to national security so how can such a sensitive report come to publicIJ” he said.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, however, said that the State is yet to receive any evidence to establish a nexus between the AIUDF and Jehadi forces.
Senior BJP leader BJP Chakraborty expressed concern over the issue and said that there have been Jehadi activities in Assam and that Assam had been used as transit route for transshipment of illegal arms and ammunition.