‘3 states nurseries of fundamentalism’

GUWAHATI: Assam finance minister and BJP’s key man Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said

drastic demographic changes

in Assam, Kerala and West Bengal have made the three states, along with Jammu & Kashmir, natural nurseries of

fundamentalist forces

.

“The rate at which demographic changes are taking place in Kerala, West Bengal and Assam, these three states, after Kashmir, have become natural growth centres of fundamentalist elements,” he said.

Sarma’s comment comes after the

Pulwama incident

and BJP chief Amit Shah’s warning at Lakhimpur in Assam two days later that BJP will not allow Assam to become a second Kashmir.

Sarma also expressed concern over frequent arrest of Rohingya Muslims in the last few weeks. He said police gave been instructed to be on alert. “We also request the people that if they see any unknown person, they should inform the police immediately. One fundamentalist group is giving shelter to these Rohingya refugees,” said Sarma.

He added that police are keeping a strict watch on the social media and people issuing anti-Indian remarks following the suicide attack on a a CRPF convoy in Pulwama last week. “Police are doing their job. Those who have are raising anti-India slogans won’t be spared. At any cost, we cannot allow Assam to become another Kashmir,” Sarma told reporters on Tuesday.

In the last couple days, several arrests have been made following a flurry of posts allegedly taking ‘anti-national and pro-Pakistan’ stand on the social media from the young users, in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.

On the other hand, Assam DGP Kuladhar Saikia on Tuesday convened a meeting with the SPs of Muslim-majority Nagaon, Morigaon and Hojai districts of central Assam in Nagaon. “Today, we held discussions on the inputs that we have here relating to extremist and militant outfits. In wake of the attack on security forces in Kashmir, we have chalked out plans on how to keep police and security agencies on alert,” he said.