Assam violence: BJP blames 'vote-bank' politics of Cong

Taking a dig at Sushilkumar Shinde, the party said he had not said anything yet on the Assam violence but was talking much about 'snoopgate'

BJP today blamed "vote-bank" politics of Congress governments at the Centre and the state for the violence in Assam and alleged that they had not taken adequate timely steps to prevent the riots after two similar episodes earlier.

The party questioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha, as to what he had done in the last 10 years to ensure effective law and order in the state which has seen repeated incidents of clashes between Bodos and immigrant Bangladeshis.

"The BJP strongly condemns the violence that happened yesterday leading to the loss of life of many. Those who are guilty must be apprehended," BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.

"It is my charge that in Assam what is happening is because of the vote-bank politics of Congress," he alleged, adding that adequate timely steps had not been taken by the state government with the support of the Centre.

He used the occasion to attack Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, saying he has not said anything yet on the Assam violence but was talking much about 'snoopgate'.

The 'snoopgate' involves spying on a young woman of Gujarat allegedly at the behest of Narendra Modi.

Prasad said this is the third incident of communal clashes between Bodos and the immigrant Bangladeshis in Assam, as the earlier ones happened in 2008 and 2012, yet adequate steps were not taken by the Tarun Gogoi government there to prevent a repeat of riots.

"The BJP would like to know from Dr Manmohan Singh, who is representing the state of Assam for the last 24 years in Rajya Sabha, as to what he has done to restore the sanctity, good governance and effective law and order in the state of Assam," Prasad said.

"What is the Congress government doing there? What is the able Rajya Sabha member doing?," he said.