Susmita Dev along with former Union Minister Kabindra Purkayastha and former Assam Deputy Speaker Dilip Paul observing a minute's silence for the Tinsukia victims at the inauguration of a Kali puja pandal in Silchar. Photo: Aparna Laskar

Member of Parliament from Silchar and All India Mahila Congress President, Susmita Dev, disdainfully retorts back to an FIR filed against her by United Front of Former ULFA at Silchar’s Sadar Thana on Monday by its Barak Valley Zonal Committee’s general secretary Anamul Haque Laskar.

Quoting this on the sidelines of the inauguration of Janiganj Kali Puja in Silchar on Tuesday, Susmita Dev, talking to Northeast Now, said, “Just two days back I have given a statement in Delhi to the press that instigative statements about the issues in Assam should not be given. I am against all of these, even violence. If somebody has filed an FIR, I think it is absurd as people who have been a terrorist outfit at some point are today filing an FIR against an elected representative for giving provocative statements. But, anyway, there is a rule of law in this country and that should prevail, and I don’t think I am too concerned about it.”

On being asked about the present situation in Assam, Sushmita Dev, said, “Situation I won’t say is bad, but, it can get very bad. Killing unarmed people by an outfit which nobody knows who they are is not a good sign for the law and order for the situation in Assam. The fact too that all the people killed are from one single community is also very bad. I feel it has been a total failure of the intelligence input on behalf of the Home Minister, the Chief Minister, who happens to be the same person, and too much of politicization of the issue is doing the rounds.”

Talking to this correspondent on the contentious issue of Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which is going to be placed before the parliament, post these festive seasons in winter, MP from Silchar, Sushmita Dev, who also happens to be a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) dealing with this, said, “First of all they have already passed a notification on October 23 and they have invited applications in various states, so it is quite questionable as to what JPC is doing. They have left out Assam. These are significant development which shows that the government has made up its mind and JPC has been undermined is what I feel. My feeling is that the central government is fooling everybody.”