Two-day shutdown during Modi's Assam visit

Guwahati: During his visit to Assam's Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be greeted by a 48-hour (two-day) shutdown -- called by various groups demanding Scheduled Tribes status.

Organisations of the Moran community, including the All Assam Moran Students' Union (AAMSU), have called a 48-hour shutdown of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts from Thursday, demanding ST status for the community.

A newly-floated militant outfit, the Moran Tiger Force, circulated an SMS among the people to oppose Modi's visit on Friday to press their demand for ST status for the community ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

The prime minister had visited the state on January 19 and addressed two public rallies at Kokrajhar and Guwahati.

Modi had then assured the people that ST status will be given to the Karbi as well as the Bodo community.

The prime minister is scheduled to inaugurate the gas cracker project at Lepetkata in Dibrugarh district on Friday and address a public rally at Moran.

Later, he is scheduled to attend the 85th convention of the Srimanta Sankar Sangha, a prominent religious-cultural body, in Sivasagar district.

The prime minister will also inaugurate the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati before leaving for Delhi the same day.

The gas cracker project, executed by the Brahmaputra Crackers and Polymers Ltd., has missed several deadlines. Envisaged by then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, it was given shape by her son Rajiv Gandhi when he became prime minister.

Then prime minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation for the Rs.10,00 crore project at Lepetkata in 2007.