As the public hearing on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was going on from 10:30 am on Monday at the Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati in presence of BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal, who heads the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Bill, there were campaigns on different social media platforms to submit statements or memorandums in favour and against the Bill online on Monday.
One of the posts written in Assamese, which went viral on the social media networking site Facebook on Monday, asking the people of Assam to send their messages at two email IDs if they oppose the Bill, stated: “If you oppose settlement of Bangladeshis in Assam then send your message at the email ID [email protected] today itself or send your message at [email protected].”
Also read: Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and the Assam’s Identity Question
In another message, which was also written in Assamese, that went viral on the social media networking site WhatsApp on Monday, asking the people of Assam to send their messages at the two same email IDs if they are in favour of the Bill, stated: “If you support the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 then send your message at the email ID [email protected] or at [email protected]. Today itself. Now.”
Interestingly, some of the individuals, who have submitted their statements online in support of the Bill, also posted their signed statements on the networking site, Facebook.
One of the Facebook users through his FB account also guided the people how to prepare a memorandum or statement addressing the Chairman of the JPC and send the same at the email IDs [email protected] or [email protected] after signing the same.
There was beeline of people including intellectuals, representatives of a large number of organisations, political parties and celebrities at the Assam Administrative Staff College, Khanapara in the city, most of whom expressed their stand against the Bill.