Guwahati: Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) President Lurinjyoti Gogoi on Sunday declared that the Assamese people will not shoulder the burden of illegal foreigners and vowed to launch an unrelenting struggle against the central government’s “genocidal, anti-Assam” Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025.
Addressing supporters, Gogoi condemned the directive as a conspiracy to erode Assamese identity, stating, “We will not accept this under any circumstances,” and pledged to intensify protests to protect the nation.
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The AJP’s state unit has launched widespread demonstrations, echoing the 2019 anti-CAA agitations.
The controversial order, notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 1, 2025, exempts persecuted minorities, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, who entered India by December 31, 2024, from passport requirements for entry, stay, or exit.
Critics view it as a de facto 10-year extension of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) cut-off date from 2014, conflicting with the 1985 Assam Accord’s March 24, 1971, deadline for deporting illegal migrants.
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This has further exacerbated Assam’s decades-long immigration crisis, where demographic shifts have reduced Assamese speakers to 48% of the population, according to the 2011 Census.
On September 3, AJP activists in Guwahati tore and burned copies of the notification, calling it the “biggest crime” against indigenous communities.
Gogoi further accused the BJP of indulging in vote-bank politics and slammed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for flip-flopping on the issue.
Allied groups such as the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and the Congress have also joined the fray, with AASU planning district-wide effigy burnings and Congress declaring September 1 a “black day” for Assam.
Sarma countered that the impact of the CAA remains minimal, noting that only 12 applications have been processed since 2024.
As protests gain momentum, Gogoi’s rallying cry, “Hail AJP, Hail All Assam”, signals a renewed battle to safeguard cultural heritage amid growing fears of a 53-year immigrant burden.