New Delhi, Nov 24: A three-member central team headed by Minister for NE Development C P Thakur, which visited Assam on Saturday to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation there in the wake of ethnic violence, has submitted an action plan to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to tackle the situation. Thakur, who met Vajpayee yesterday after the team returned here, told reporters today that the action plan had suggested taking immediate steps to contain violence, opening of CRPF posts in affected areas, launching of a combing operation and rehabilitation of the victims.
Replying to a question, Thakur indicated that both Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani were expected to visit Assam after normalcy was restored there.
As regards the demand of a section of the people in Assam that only Assamese should be recruited in railway jobs and outsiders should be barred, Thakur said that he told the Prime Minister about it.
Vajpayee said that this was an issue which needed a constitution amendment and for that an all-party meeting would have to be convened, Thakur said.
Expressing the hope that normalcy would be restored in Assam within a fortnight, Thakur said that it was a good sign that no incident had taken place during the past 36 hours.
Bureau Report