Guwahati: Jorhat BJP MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa on Thursday demanded the arrest of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind president Maulana Syed Arshad Madani for allegedly inciting enmity between communities with his remarks on the NRC update while the AGP smelt a conspiracy to scuttle the process.

"Madani should be arrested. We did not expect such a statement from a religious leader. Whoever makes such statement should be arrested. Otherwise it will affect religious harmony in the state," Tasa said in reply to a query on the sidelines of a coaching centre launch for youths of tea community to prepare for civil service exams.

Tasa said those from Assam who shared stage with Madani in Delhi on Monday should be also arrested.

Intellectual Hiren Gohain, senior journalist Haidar Hussain, activist Manjit Mahanta, advocate Hafid Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, former professor of political science, Nehu, Apurba Barua and former Gauhati University professor Abdul Manan from Assam had shared stage with Madani at the seminar on Current Political Impasse in Assam: Updating the NRC and the Question of Citizenship organised by an organisation, Delhi Action Committee for Assam.

"People of Assam should not pardon those who had shared stage with Madani in the seminar," Tasa said.

Gohain, however, later told a television channel that he objected to Madani's statement that there will be a Myanmar-like situation in Assam after the publication of the NRC.

Madani's remarks led to criticism from the AGP, the BJP, the Congress, the AASU and Hindu Jagaran Manch, Assam, who dubbed his statements "provocative and communal".

They alleged that Madani's comment was an attempt to create instability in Assam ahead of publication of the draft NRC.

Several organisations burnt Madani and Gohain's effigies on Wednesday.

The AGP on Thursday condemned Madani's statement as communal and claimed it was part of a conspiracy aimed at scuttling the NRC update.

"It was Madani's pre-planned conspiracy to destabilise Assam ahead of the publication of the draft NRC. Certain forces are playing communal politics to disrupt the update," AGP general secretary Kamala Kanta Kalita told reporters. "Who is Madani to speak about Assam? He's not the guardian of the people of Assam."

Assam director-general of police Mukesh Sahay had said on Wednesday that three cases had been registered following FIRs lodged by local organisations seeking action against Madani.

Two of the cases were registered at Basistha and Fatasil Ambari police stations here and another at Tezpur.