The Congress Saturday claimed the Central government has failed in handling the interstate border dispute between Assam and Mizoram that led to fatal clashes earlier this week.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said this is not a new issue and past governments have also handled it, but there has never been a conflagration like this before that central forces needed to be deployed on the interstate border.

“How could it reach a stage where people are shooting guns and bullets,” he told a press conference here.

Had such a situation arisen in non-BJP-ruled states, the saffron party would have demanded the deployment of Army and the imposition of President's Rule, he claimed, accusing the ruling party of "double-standards".

"We want peace and quiet. We are a responsible party which is why, I said in the beginning that we are restraining ourselves. But, it is unthinkable that two states in India, if I may use the word with great respect and I don't want to use the word virtually, at war with each other.

"Lives are being lost and homilies and preaching is happening, just because, there are at least one of them is a full BJP government," he said.

"I think, these are hypocritical double standards, which need to be exposed and it also reflects the complete failure of the Central government," the Congress leader said.

There have been clashes between the police forces of Assam and Mizoram and six Assam cops have died in the conflict.