Assam massacre: Nitish questions Patil’s silence

“It’s been over three days now and the Home Minister has not made any statement regarding the massacre. It is a serious matter since it is aimed at dividing the country. The Home Minister should inform people of this country of the situation in Assam, and also tell them what steps the Centre is taking to control it,” a poised but aggrieved Kumar said. He was addressing reporters after the five-member team from the Bihar, which had been sent to Assam to take stock of the situation, returned.

Meanwhile, the exodus of terrorised Bihari labourers from Assam was seen even on Tuesday as trains packed beyond capacity arrived from Assam. “We had gone there to earn our living. But we are being killed in Assam. I decided to return since I can earn only if I am alive,” said Rajmangal Rai, a labourer from Muzaffarpur district alighting from the Brahmputra Mail at the Patna Station. Rai, who worked in Jorhat of Assam, was so petrified that he caught the first train to Bihar without waiting for a direct train to Muzaffarpur.

Apart from seasonal labourers, many settlers were also seen returning home from Assam. Mukteshwar Prasad of Chhapra district was among them. He had been running a small garment shop in Assam’s Sibsagar district since the last 10-12 years. “The last time, I did not run away. But this time, I have been shaken. I want to live for my family”, he said, pointing out that the ULFA has threatened to kill all Hindi-speaking people if they did not leave the state.

Expressing concern over the incident, Nitish Kumar said that the Centre should take immediate steps to restore the people’s confidence. He added that the Centre should not only ensure security for Bihari’s, but also ensure rehabilitation for those displaced.

“The UPA Government should take it as a challenge and rise to the occasion. But unfortunately it is not doing enough”, he stated.

Asked whether he too would also pay a visit to Assam after his political rival Laloo Prasad Yadav, the Chief Minister said, “He went there since I had sent a team. The Home Minister, and not Laloo, should go to Assam”.

Team member and Minister Nand Kishore Yadav charged that Laloo Prasad Yadav visited Assam only for political mileage.

He said about 2 lakh people from Bihar live in Assam. Most of them are settlers, others are seasonal labourers working in brick kilns, Nitish Kumar said.