At a time when demonstrations by various organisations against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 across the State have been reported, the Tihu Senior Citizens Committee also staged a sit-in protest against the Bill on Monday at Tihu town.
Pabindra Deka, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Vice-President and Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Patacharkuchi, protesting against the implementation of the Bill said, “There will be another Assam Movement for the second time in Assam if the Bill is passed in the Parliament.”
The AGP Vice-President also expressed that the State would face another threat in future if the Bill is implemented. Deka further said, “We (AGP) will leave the government immediately at the moment of implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.” Adding that, he said, “An illegal migrant is an illegal migrant. There is no reason to settle them on the basis of religion or caste.”
Also read: AJYCP protests in Dibrugarh to scrap Citizenship Amendment Bill
Deka firmly favoured the identification of illegal migrants on the basis of the Assam Accord.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Jagat Goswami appealed to the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) and the AGP to snatch ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the government in greater interest of the people of Assam.
CPI-M leader Karuna Kalita, All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) leader Hiren Bhattacharya, former students’ leaders Shankar Kumar Das, Congress leader and Senior Citizens’ Committee member Sanjay Kalita, AGP leader Dwijendra Kumar Goswami along with other leaders from different organisations participated in the demonstration held at Tihu town.
A memorandum was also sent to Prime Minster Naredra Modi and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal regarding the matter.
Also read: Citizenship Amendment Bill: Assam’s citizens’ group slams JPC Chairman, Assam government
It may be mentioned along with other parts of the State, the Jorhat unit of the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) had also staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner’s office in protest against the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 on April 23, 2018.
The Bill would give recognition to all illegal Hindu migrants from Bangladesh, who entered the country till 2014, as Indian citizens.
On the other hand, eight organisations had also staged a protest in Majuli on April 22, 2018 against Uttar Kamalabari Satra’s Satradhikar Janardan Devagoswami, who expressed his view in favour of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Chairman during a hearing recently in New Delhi.