All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) Barbarua unit in association with Lezai Kalakhowa unit took out a protest rally against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 here on Monday.
The protesters holding placards and banners and shouting slogan for scraping the bill marched through streets of Barbarua. School students and women from other organizations also participated in the rally.
“According to the Assam Accord of 1985, anyone who has entered Assam after March 24, 1971 should be treated as an illegal migrant irrespective of one’s religious affiliation. Our demand is that it should be strictly implemented. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 should be scrapped immediately since the culture, language and identity of Assamese people are at stake,” Sankar Jyoti Baruah, the AASU Dibrugarh unit general Secretary, said. He criticised the Sarbananda Sonowal-led government for showing double standard.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which was tabled in the parliament in August, 2016, seeks to give citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan in India who have come here till December 31 of 2014.
“We are against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 because it will have an adverse affect in the lives of the Assamese society. The government is planning to bring Hindu Bangladeshi in Assam which is intolerable,” a protester said.
Chabua AASU unit also took out a rally against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 at Chabua.