The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) is set to hold a peaceful demonstration-cum-protest rally against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 here on Saturday, the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the frontier State along with Assam and Tripura.
This was informed by APCC general secretary Chera Taya on Thursday.
Talking to the media, Taya also said the protest rally, which would be taken out from Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan here and culminate with a sit-in protest at the Tennis Court in Indira Park, would coincide with the arrival timing of Modi, which is around 9.20 am.
Taya, who was addressing a news conference at the Arunachal Press Club here, said that the APCC was not allowed to submit a memorandum to the PM following which the party had chosen the particular date to express their resentment over the Bill.
The Congress had also on January 24 carried out demonstrations and protest rallies in various places of the State against the Bill.
“The passing of the contentious Citizenship Bill in the Lok Sabha last month has clearly exposed the BJP-led government’s double standards. We will not accept such ‘anti-people’ Bill that aims to gulp the entire northeast region by providing Indian citizenship to illegal immigrants,” said Taya.
The Bill, which envisages Indian citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of continuous stay, has already been passed in the Lok Sabha last month and is likely to come up in the Rajya Sabha next week.
Taking a dig at PM Modi, the Congress general secretary said, “Jumla Raja (Modi) is coming to the State again to make fake promises to the people.”
He will announce schemes but will not release funds for the same. Moreover, the PM would be inaugurating schemes which were passed during the Congress regime in Arunachal Pradesh, Taya said.
During his visit here on Saturday, Modi is likely to inaugurate and lay foundation stone plaques of nine coveted projects.
He is expected to lay the foundation stones for Greenfield Airport at Hollongi, Film Television Institute at Jote, Sela Pass tunnel and approach road in Tawang and seven 132KV and twenty four 33 KV sub-stations under comprehensive scheme for strengthening of transmission and distribution system.
Besides this, the PM is also likely to inaugurate the retrofitted airport at Tezu, 50 health and wellness centers, launch DD ‘Arun Prabha’ Channel, dedicated the 110 MW Pare Hydro Electric Plant and declare 100 per cent household electrification under Saubhagya Scheme.
Following the inauguration ceremony, Modi is also likely to address a public rally at Indira Gandhi Park.
Meanwhile, the Congress has also questioned the silence of Chief Minister Khandu and Union MoS from Home Kiren Rijiju over the Bill.
Appealing to duo to also register their strong protest against the Bill, Taya informed that representatives from the People’s Party of Arunachal (the lone regional party in the state), National People’s Party, various community based organizations, student unions, NGOs are expected the join the protest rally.
The Congress also appealed all like-minded organizations and individuals to participate in the rally.
Earlier in the day, chief secretary Satya Gopal convened a meeting at his office here to review the arrangements made for the PM’s visit.
