The Assam BJP on Friday appealed to militant groups to shun violence and join the peace process.

The appeal followed the Wednesday grenade blast in the heart of the city, reportedly carried out by Paresh Barua-led Ulfa (Independent), that left 12 people injured.

“We need an environment of development in Assam. Those who have so far died or been injured because of militancy in Assam are from among us. We have harmed each other a lot. Militancy has not brought any positive result. We need to discuss problems for a solution. We welcome those militants who have joined the peace process and appeal to others to do so,” Assam BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami said.

He lauded Assam police for “quickly” arresting a few persons allegedly involved in the blast. He said the prompt action was possible because chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal gave a free hand to the police department without any political interference. Goswami accused the Congress of politicising the tragedy, saying that the party was facing an existential crisis.

The Assam Congress had on Thursday criticised the BJP-led Assam government for failing to prevent the blast. It said the incident showed that the state home department was virtually non-existent. It pointed out that the incident took place a few days after Sonowal, who heads the home department, attended a security review meeting.

Another BJP spokesperson, Mominul Awal, said the Congress had commented on the home department just for the sake of making a comment.

Cong MLA claim

Congress legislator Durga Bhumij on Friday alleged that the state government had failed to solve the problem of militancy.

“The government could not prevent the grenade attack. Several such incidents have occurred across the state since the BJP-led government came to power here,” he said. He demanded at least Rs 5 lakh compensation for those injured in Wednesday’s blast.

In another development, Sonowal called on governor Jagdish Mukhi at Raj Bhavan and apprised him of the law and order situation in the state’s Brahmaputra and Barak valleys, especially after the blast. The meeting also took note of government schemes and preparedness to tackle natural calamities.

Additional reporting by Manoj Kumar Ojha in Doomdooma