Assam govt sees Maoist hand behind anti-dam protests

Assam government on Friday accused Left-wing extremists of engineering protests against big dams in the state and warned of appropriate action to tackle the design.

Assam government spokesperson and the state's industries and power minister Pradyut Bordoloi claimed that Left-wing extremists were behind protests against big dams while Maoists and some other militant groups too were instigating agitations to create instability in the state.

Asserting the government has proof to substantiate its accusation, Bordoloi said the Left-wing extremists were trying to gain a foothold in the state in the guise of protests against big dams and such issues.

"The agitation against big dams is just an issue for the Left-wing extremists to penetrate the state. A section of protests against big dams is instigated and led by them," Bordoloi added.

He said these extremists were already present in parts of remote eastern Assam's Sadiya and bordering districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

"We have information on their activities. Those are remote areas where development is still to pick up at a desired level," the minister said.

Bordoloi added that local militant groups, like the anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom, are also supporting the Left-wing extremists in entering the state.

He said the main agenda of these extremists was to create instability and push back Assam to the days of unrest that the state had witnessed less than a decade ago.

"The government is awake to these threats and we are taking action," he added.

On the anti-big dam movement led by other civil society groups, Bordoloi said the government was not against democratic agitations and will deal with their grievances sympathetically.

He once again sought to allay apprehensions that big dams will cause devastation for Assam and assured that the state government would not give its nod to any project in neighbouring states that could have adverse impact on Assam.