Sarma-led Assam govt should resign for failing to protect its people: Cong

A day after five Assam policemen and a civilian were killed in a bloody conflict along the state's border with Mizoram, the Congress on Tuesday claimed that the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government should resign, "having failed to protect its people". Addressing a press meet, newly appointed working presidents of the grand old party, Kamalakhya Dey Purakayastha and Zakir Hussain Sikdar, along with former minister Siddeque Ahmed, said that the border incident has proved that the BJP government is incapable of providing security to the people of the state.

Sarma, who is also the convenor of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) "is having sweets and tea with his Nagaland counterpart on one hand, and on the other he is seen amicably talking with Mizoram CM Zoramthanga, even as encroachment of Assam land continues," Purakayastha, who represents Karimganj North, said. Condoling the deaths of the policemen and the civilian, all three leaders asserted that ''a government that cannot protect its people should resign''.

Just two days after Home Minister Amit Shah met chief ministers of northeast states, held talks with them in Shillong, the Assam police personnel were attacked, Purakayastha pointed out.

Both the Centre and the state governments have completed failed to maintain law and order, he claimed.

The festering border dispute between the two northeastern states erupted into a bloody conflict on Monday and resulted in the death of six persons and injury of at least 50 others.

Ahmed, who had in the past served as the border area development minister, said Assam's boundary disputes with the neighbouring states are not something new but "during my tenure, our then chief minister Tarun Gogoi had made it clear that not one inch of our land will be lost. That is no longer the case now''.

The incident at Lailapur in Cachar district was shocking to say the least, and despite claims that ''we have a strong chief minister, who holds the home portfolio, too, such is the state of affairs,'' the Karimganj south MLA said, in a dig at Sarma.

Sikdar, on his part, asserted that Sarma, as the NEDA convenor, should have been able to resolve the border row.

"The Assam Police is capable of taking on anyone, we have faith in them. It is the skewed policies of the BJP government that must be blamed for Monday's incident,'' he added.

Meanwhile, the All India Congress Committee has formed a seven-member panel, led by newly appointed state unit president Bhupen Bora, to visit Cachar district and nearby border areas to assess the situation, Jitendra Singh, the AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam, said.

A detailed report in the matter will be submitted to the party's leadership after the panel undertakes its visit to the border area on Wednesday, he said.

Other members of the panel include Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Debabrata Saikia, Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi, Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and All India Mahila Congress Committee Sushmita Dev.

Dev, during the day, led a protest meeting at Silchar, demanding an explanation for the violence along the Mizoram border from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Sarma. Earlier on Tuesday, the chief minister asserted that he would ensure Assam's land is not encroached upon by the neighbouring state.'' ''People have sacrificed their lives but boundary has been protected which we will continue to do at any cost,'' he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)