Union Minister for Small Scale Industry C P Thakur on Wednesday said the developments in Assam and other northeastern states was having an impact across India and, perhaps, Tuesday incident's in Mumbai was also a fallout of the same.
Thakur is in charge of the Northeastern states.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, he said about 1.5 million Biharis are based in Assam. Thakur expressed fears that the attacks against them will create hatred among the people of both the states and may even give fresh impetus to insurgency groups.
The army had been called out in one district of Assam but the Centre would deploy the army all over the state and other disturbed pockets in the Northeast if the attacks against Biharis or Hindi speaking people continue.
The Centre is watching the situation closely and has asked the Assam government to take all necessary precautionary measures to check violence and provide protection to Biharis living in Assam. Additional security personnel had been sent to Assam.
He admitted that Assam and other Northeastern states are backward like Bihar. As part of efforts to remedy the situation, his ministry and the North East Council had allocated Rs 500 crore each last year to carry out infrastructural development in the region. There are plans to promote trade between the northeastern states and neighbouring Bangladesh and Myanmar.
To promote harmony and a sense of unity, Thakur said the government would also consider special incentives to persuade people to work in Bihar and other states in the Hindi heartland.
Meanwhile, Bihar was put on high alert to ward off retaliatory violence against people from northeastern states in the wake of attacks and killings of Biharis in Assam.
The police have also been asked to maintain strict vigil in trains originating from Assam and passing through Bihar.
All trains from the northeast passing through Bihar were escorted by contingents of Railway Protection Force and state police from the moment they entered the state up to Mughalsarai in Uttar Pradesh.
Five companies of the CRPF have been deployed at Jamalpur, Katihar, Kishanganj, Bhagalpur and Barauni stations so that they could be rushed without loss of time in case of violence in trains.
