Guwahati, Nov 19: BJP's organisational in-charge in Bihar, Harendra Pratap, today urged both Assamese and Biharis in the North East to be cautious of extremists and secessionists active in the region, saying the violent incidents which left 25 Biharis dead could be their handiwork. "The current turmoil could well be the handiwork of the extremist elements to fulfil their own sinister designs and people should be cautious and not play into their hands," Pratap said.

He also accused RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav of making false allegations that BJP MP from Katihar, Nikhil Chaudhary, had incited violence at Katihar and Jamalpur against Assamese train passengers.

"This ridiculous allegation against Chaudhary is nothing more than a callous attempt by Laloo to hide the Bihar government's failure incontrolling the violence as well as in restoring normalcy and confidence in Bihari-Assamese relations," Pratap said. He also appealed to both communities to maintain restraint under all circumstances and help normalise the situation as people from all states live and work in other states, and ''we are all a part of the same motherland''.
Bihar is the gateway to all the eight North Eastern states, he said adding lakhs of Biharis work in these states and the recent misunderstanding and resultant violence was a rude shock. Bureau Report