The Anchalikatabadi Asom Gana Parishad (AAGP) on Tuesday slammed the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) for maintaining ‘double standard’ with respect to the citizenship bill issue.
Talking to media persons at Greater Dibrugarh Press Club in Dibrugarh in eastern Assam, Sunil Rajkonwar, president of AAGP criticized the AGP leadership for betraying the people of Assam.
“If the AGP leadership is really opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, then they should resign from the government. But they are not doing this. If they are really concerned about the people of Assam then they should clear their stand about the bill.”
He also accused the AGP for losing their regional identity.
“The AGP leadership has lost their regional identity after alliance with the BJP and the AGP very easily joined with the BJP by losing their true identity. Now, the AGP leaders don’t raise their voice and what BJP leadership says they go with it,” Rajkonwar alleged.
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.
“The citizenship bill should be scrapped immediately since the culture, language and identity of Assames people are at stake. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that he will not take any decision against the people of Assam. But now they are thinking to bring and rehabilitate Hindu Bangladeshis in Assam,” the president of AAGP said.
On the other hand, the AGP leaders are against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 and threatened the government to pull out from alliance.
In past few months, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 has become a debatable topic and the students’ organizations and the indigenous people of Assam are opposing the bill.