People's Democracy

ASSAM

Biman Basu Visits Relief Camps

and Expresses Solidarity

BIMAN Basu, member of Polit Bureau and secretary of West Bengal state committee of the CPI(M), said that both the Congress and BJP are playing a negative role in Assam that is dividing the people of the state. He charged that the RSS is actively involved in the ongoing ethnic strife of Assam.

Basu visited the relief camps set up for victims of ethnic strife in Assam and conveyed the solidarity of the democratic people of Bengal. He distributed relief material, which was collected in West Bengal, to the homeless people who are still living in relief camps as a result of violent ethnic strife since July 2012. It may be recalled that CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat had also visited the affected people in relief camps and distributed relief.

Biman Basu along with Mohd Salim, central committee member of CPI(M) visited  two reliefs camps situated at Bilasipara in Dhubri district and some other camps at Nayapara and Bhutuni in Chirang district of Assam. Uddhab Barman, secretary of Assam state committee of the CPI(M) and other Party leaders accompanied the Bengal leaders throughout their visit to the relief camps. During their two-day visit, Basu and other Party leaders distributed almost 1200 blankets among the riot affected people of Assam.

The homeless people living in the camps expressed their dissatisfaction about the inadequate relief being provided by the state government. They told the CPI(M) leaders that the ration has been completely stopped to the affected people after the Eid festival. They are living in the camps with insufficient supply of food and clothes. With the onset of winter, their condition has further deteriorated. The Congress-run state government of Assam is not showing enough  seriousness either  to ensure adequate relief or safe rehabilitation of the affected people.

Basu has demanded that the state government must urgently provide necessary relief to the affected people who have become homeless due to the ethnic strife. He said that the democratic-minded people of West Bengal and the country would always stand by the people of Assam in such difficult times. The central and the state governments must ensure protection of all, irrespective of caste creed and ethnicity. He promised them that the Left parties will raise the issue in the parliament during the coming winter session.

Later, Basu participating in a public meeting called by the Party at Bilasipara maidan attacked both the Congress and BJP for their role in dividing the people on ethnic lines. He demanded the arrest and severe punishment of those who created the ethnic strife in Assam. He also criticised the neo-liberal policies being pursued by the UPA-II government and called for a vigorous fight against these anti-people policies. Tripathnath Chakrovorty, secretary of CPI(M) Dhubri district committee presided over the public meeting.

Later Basu also addressed a meeting of Party workers and sympathisers at Bongaigaon. It may be recalled that the situation in Assam deteriorated after killing of three innocent farmers by the rioters in Bongaigaon and Kokrajhar districts. During his visit Biman Basu and other Party leaders criticised the ruthless killings of the innocent peasants and demanded exemplary punishment to the culprits.

(INN)