Sonowal meets Modi, Rajnath, discusses Kokrajhar attack, floods

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and briefed them about the situation in Assam where at least 13 people were killed by militants.

Sonowal, in his meeting with Modi, also urged him to bail out the state from recurring floods and erosion especially against the backdrop of recent floods in the state, Assam government sources said here.

Assam has as many as 1,250 river embankments covering a distance of around 5,000 KM built over 30 years ago and most of them have outlived their utility and need immediate repairing, the sources said.

Sonowal also sought PM’s help in strengthening the embankments as “a strong network”.

He also informed that after BJP came to power in Assam, business houses have shown interests for making investment in the state.

The Chief Minister also briefed Modi on the India-Bangladesh fencing issue and requested that the construction work be handed over to to the army as was done along the India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir, sources said.

He also informed briefed Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the Kokrajhar violence. The central government has assured full assistance to the state government to deal with the situation.

Following the violence at the Bodo stronghold, Sonowal has cut short his visit to the national capital and returned to the state.

Authorities in Assam have blamed the “anti-talk faction” of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) led by I.K. Songbijit, who carries a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, for the massacre.