Victims of Assam haunt House

Voicing serious concern over the recent incidents of ethnic violence in Assam and some other places, triggered off by the ongoing railway re...

Voicing serious concern over the recent incidents of ethnic violence in Assam and some other places, triggered off by the ongoing railway recruitment, Lok Sabha members today criticised the Government for its ‘‘faulty policies’’.

As the House took up the discussion on the violence in Assam under Rule 193, Speaker Manohar Joshi asked members to speak with restraint on the sensitive issue. ‘‘When such matters are discussed in the House, a definite message goes to the nation which is an expression of the cumulative wisdom of the peoples’ representatives,’’ he said. The members should ‘‘rise above considerations of regions and parties so that at the end of the discussion a message goes from the House that not only this House but the entire nation is one in condemning the senseless and mindless violence,’’ Joshi added.

Initiating the discussion, CPI(M) MP Basudeb Acharia took on the Shiv Sena for making ‘‘irresponsible’’ statements that Biharis would be driven out of Maharashtra. This was contested by Sena member Mohan Rawale, who contended that his party has only emphasised that ‘‘locals’’ should be given preference.

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Demanding President’s Rule in Assam, Prabhunath Singh of the Samata Party said it was time the Centre took steps to fulfill the promise of providing one crore jobs to check growing unemployment.

With very few members present, Singh expressed regret that neither the PM nor the DPM were in the House when such a serious issue was being discussed. Railway Minister Nitish Kumar was, however, present throughout the discussion. The minister said it was a ‘‘very sensitive issue’’ and he would dwell on its various aspects. He is likely to reply on Monday.

BJP’s Rajen Gohain said the anguish of Assamese youth over unemployment had been capitalised by ULFA to foment trouble against Biharis. Madhav Rajbongshi of Congress alleged state BJP leaders had ‘‘provoked’’ AASU activists to ransack railway recruitment offices. This led to protests from the ruling benches.

Stating that people from Bihar had contributed a lot to Assam’s development, Rajbongshi said the violence occurred in the border districts which showed that extremist outfits were behind the attacks.