Army on alert in Assam: Govt

Strongly condemning the violence in Assam, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that the Centre was closely monitoring the situation in the state and assured that Army had been put on alert to deal with the situation.

“The government strongly condemns the act of depredation in Assam. The government is closely monitoring the situation there,” Shinde said, while replying in Lok Sabha to an Adjournment Motion on infiltration and recent clashes in Kokrajhar and other areas of Assam. The home minister further stressed that “the central government is providing all possible assistance to the government of Assam,” to restore normalcy. He said “Army has been put on alert,” to check violence in future.

The issue of month-long violence in Assam, that has claimed 74 lives, was taken up for discussion in both Houses of Parliament on the first day of the Monsoon Session.
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessed several adjournments before the Assam issue could be taken up.

The Opposition slammed the government over Assam violence and said that the inability to check infiltration from Bangladesh was the “greatest failure” of the UPA government on a matter of national security.

“The violence in Assam should not be seen as a communal incident. Let no one regard it as a Hindu versus Muslim affair or a tribal versus non-tribal one. The basic issue is between Indians and the infiltrators from across the border,” senior BJP leader L K Advani, who had moved the motion, said in the Lok Sabha. He also urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister Shinde to give state wise official estimates of illegal migration from Bangladesh, especially in Assam and other border areas.

JD (U) opposes BJP’s Assam stand

The Janata Dal (United)has opposed BJP’s stand on Assam violence. Displaying a consistency in opposing pro-Hindutva policies of  its senior partner, party leader Shivanand Tiwari said in Rajya Sabha that it is not a Hindu-Muslim problem,  nor has it been created by illegal immigration of Bangladeshis, reports DHNS from New Delhi.

Since JDU  has been opposing move to project Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, as NDA’s prime ministerial candidate, Tiwari’s assertion in RS finds significance and shows party’s policy direction ahead of 2014 polls, JDU will oppose any tilt on the part of BJP towards Hinduva. 

“I do not agree to what BJP leader has said. We believe that it is not a Hindu-muslim question, nor has it arisen out of illegal immigration. The entire problem is due to discovery of coal and growth of tea plantation industry,  and consequent migration to the area since early part of 20th century,” he opined.

People from different parts of the country including East Bengal(now Bangladesh) migrated to Assam, he said. “Assamese has been opposing Bengali Hindu as well,” said Tiwari.