Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi felt offended after he was accused that he did not act the best possible way. After several politicians and people bashed at him saying that the Gujarat riots in 2002 were replicated in Assam, he said that the ethnic clashes were no way similar to the riots in 2002 and said that the comparison was unfair.

He pointed out that the 2002 violence was state sponsored and had not subsided until a few months while the Assam violence was restricted in just a week. There were several thousand casualties.

However, Tarun had accepted that there was a delay in initiating the action right after the clashed began but he blamed the delay on shortage of forces and delays caused by following procedures. He also rebounded on the opposition who were disparaging him and directing their criticism at him. He said that BJP leader L K Advani had misinterpreted his statement reiterating that he said a volcano-like situation in two districts and not the whole state. He also had said that he as a Home Minister had not taken any steps to make a border fencing.

The minor clashes beginning in the early period of July had soon turned into a large scale violence as ethnic clashes. The death toll had hit 78 while it displaced over 2.5 lakh people from their homes. Most of them now don't have a home to return to and are eking out on the limited supplies at the relief camps.

(AW- Anil)