Jehadis targeting Assam, CM tells Modi

Guwahati, October 29, 2014: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the issue of militancy and fundamentalist activities with the neighbouring countries, stating that of late Assam appears to have been targeted by fundamentalist organisations like the Al-Qaeda. Some operatives having links with the Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were recently arrested in Assam, he told the Prime Minister to explain the gravity of the situation.

The Government of India should take up the issue with the neighbouring countries at appropriate levels for sharing intelligence and to initiate coordinated actions, the Chief Minister told the Prime Minister, said an official press release here.

“There should be a similar mechanism at the inter-state level for West Bengal and the North Eastern States so that issues of jurisdiction do not come in the way of dealing with insurgency and militancy,” he said.

The Chief Minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his South Block Office in New Delhi and also discussed with him a gamut of important issues concerning the State and its people, said the press release.

The Chief Minister took up the incidents of violence that occurred along the Assam-Nagaland boundary on August 12 this year that resulted in the death of eleven persons and displacement of nearly 10,000 people. Gogoi apprised Modi that about 8,000 people have already gone back to their native places, while 1,750 people are still in the relief camps. He requested the Prime Minister to impress upon the Government of Nagaland to enable a congenial and conducive environment along the Assam-Nagaland border so that people from both the States can benefit from mutual trust and harmony.

While apprising the Prime Minister of the slew of steps initiated by the State Government for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) 1951, Gogoi asked for adequate funds for completion of the exercise within the stipulated time.

The Chief Minister sought the Prime Minister’s intervention in the matter of payment of crude oil royalty to Assam on pre-discounted price in the light of the verdict by the Gujarat High Court, on a petition filed by the Government of Gujarat, and the interim order passed by the Supreme Court that crude oil royalty to Gujarat be paid on pre-discounted crude price beginning from February 1, 2014.

Gogoi sought Modi’s help in the sanctioning of Assam Flood Erosion and River Management Modernization Project with an estimated cost of Rs.1500 crore for tackling floods and erosion more effectively, besides ensuring optimal and productive use of the vast water resources.

Source: Assam Tribune