GUWAHATI, July 30 � Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today expressed confidence that the situation in the districts of Kokrajhar and Chirang that has improved in the last few days will be back to normal and the people in relief camps will soon be able to return to their homes.
Addressing a press conference in the city this evening, after visiting a number of relief camps in the affected areas, he said that it is �a great regret and sadness that violence has erupted in the region.� However, he pointed to the fact that no violence has taken place in the last 72 hours and the Government of Assam has been able to contain the situation.
Briefed by senior state government functionaries today, the Union Home Minister said that a comprehensive plan has been chalked out to tackle the situation and he believed it would help relief and rehabilitation efforts. He assured Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of support to provide immediate relief to the affected people.
�There is complete agreement between the State Government and everyone else that people want to go back to their villages as soon as possible,� he remarked and described it as a �good sign.�
Referring to the compensatory packages offered by the State Government and the Prime Minister, Chidambaram described them as quite generous.
According to him, Assam is the most complex state to govern in the country, a situation emerging from the existence of many communities. He also mentioned the �undeniable� presence of people who had entered illegally.
In this backdrop when a conflict takes place, there is a need to handle it with sensitivity and compassion. Lessons learnt from this conflict will be useful in the future, he mentioned.
Underlining the importance of relief, rehabilitation and security measures, he said that the Government of India stands with the Government of Assam to maintain peace and harmony in the affected areas.
Responding to a question, the Union Home Minister said that there was no intelligence failure. Two incidents � one on July 6 and the other on July 19 � triggered the subsequent course of action.
He appealed to all sections to maintain peace, reasoning that India is a plural society and everyone has to learn to live together.
Speaking to the media, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said, �Today I feel more confident,� and added that for the last few days no major incident has taken place. Initially there were some problems, but the situation has been brought under control after four-five days.
Rumour mongering, according to Gogoi was a problem in the recent clashes, and to stop it he sought support from the public as well as the media.
Meanwhile, a team from Assam Pradesh Congress Committee met Chidambaram and requested him to ensure security to the displaced people residing in relief camps.
