New Delhi, Aug 8 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi over his government's inefficiency in controlling the recent violent ethnic clashes that left over 60 persons dead and displaced thousands.
Scores of BJP activists participated in the protest at the Jantar Mantar here today over the failure of the Centre and the Assam Government in containing the recent ethnic clashes in the northeastern.
Slamming the government for behaving apathetically, BJP President Nitin Gadkari appealed to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and President Pranab Mukherjee to suspend Gogoi for his failure in controlling the heinous situation in Assam.
"If the government of Assam cannot provide protection for the people of the state, then the Congress Party state government-led by Tarun Gogoi should not continue the office even for a minute," said Gadkari.
"I appeal to the Prime Minister and President of India to suspend the government led by Tarun Gogoi because of its failure in protecting the life of innocent people," he added.
Gadkari further said the government was unable to provide security to the Bodo tribals and hence is solely responsible for the ethnic clashes.
"I want to question Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi that why couldn't you protect innocent Indians? Chief Minister of Assam and the Government of India have failed to fulfill the responsibility of protecting the Bodo tribals and the people of the state," said Gadkari.
"Around 4,00,000 people have been displaced, over 100 people have died and houses of hundreds of people have been burnt. The affected people have neither shelter to reside nor food to eat and have been compelled to live in the relief camps. Who is responsible for all these?" he asked.
Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said that today's protest is a stand against the government's inaction towards the issue.
"Around 4,00,000 people are in the relief camps, such incidents are extremely rare in the history of independent India when such a massive population have been compelled to leave their homes," said Jaitley.
"The struggle of Assam will continue because the Supreme Court had also termed this situation as 'silent invasion' wherein the federal government has created the structure to allow intruders to enter, but not leave the country under IMDT {(Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal)} Act. The Congress only saw its vote bank and conveniently forgot about the country's security and benefit," he added.
Chief Minister Gogoi, who has been criticized for ignoring early warning signs of tension between the Bodo tribals and Bengali-speaking Muslims, said yesterday that the state is 'sitting on a volcano'.
More than 70 people have died in the last month. 400,000 people are displaced and living in 200 relief camps in lower Assam.
Medicines and other supplies are running short. There are just 117 doctors moving from one camp to another as diseases like malaria spread.
The issue of Assam violence created turmoil in the Lok Sabha on the first day of the Monsoon Session today with several opposition members storming the Well of the House.
Despite Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar admitting an adjournment motion by BJP on the issue, members including those of BJP, Shiv Sena, Bodoland People's Front (BPF) and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) trooped into the Well condemning the violence. (ANI)