Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday said some divisive forces were at work against restoration of peace in the state as a result of which violent incidents continued.
Gogoi gave examples of the bandhs called recently by the Bajrang Dal and AAMSU which, he said, worked against return of peace. “The Bajrang Dal bandh was to create division in society.”
“During the AAMSU bandh one person died and houses were burnt. This proves there are some forces which do not want to bring back peace and that killings and violence should continue,” Gogoi told reporters here.
He said Assam’s people were now aware of all this and the government was also alert against such elements.
“We are taking all measures to control the situation and prevent its recurrence in the future,” he said and appealed to people to bring to the government’s notice any information that might affect law and order.
“We want to demolish such forces which want to destroy traditional communal harmony in the state.”
A meeting was held between the Group of Ministers on Bodoland with Bodo leaders as well as all political parties on Wednesday which, Gogoi said, created a good atmosphere in the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District areas clearing misunderstanding among different communities.
The meeting resolved that all genuinely displaced people in the relief camps in the BTAD would be brought back to their homes and an assessment of their land status done, the chief minister said.
The government has declared all bandhs in the state unconstitutional in deference to a Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court order that declared bandhs as “illegal and unconstitutional”, Gogoi noted.
Dubbing Assam as “number one” in the country for the highest number of bandhs, Gogoi said, “Since January 1 to August 30 this year there were 23 statewide bandhs, 48 district bandhs, 65 road blockades and 13 rail blockades”.
“This will take the state towards destruction and is against the interest of youth, students and the future generation,” he warned.
On the illegal foreigners problem in the state, the Chief Minister said, “We want to solve it once and for all. We are serious about it”.
For identification of foreigners, the National Register of Citizens would be updated with the process in 42 of the 126 Assembly constituencies completed in one year and in the rest within the next three years, Gogoi said.
For the people of the state who left Bangalore recently following threats of attacks, he said, an additional train from here would ply on September 1. (PTI)