Akhil Gogoi appeals to Cong to not back Citizenship Bill in RS

Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) Adviser Akhil Gogoi on Sunday appealed to opposition Congress to ensure defeat of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Gogoi said the KMSS will try to meet all other opposition parties to convince them to stand against the bill in the Upper House, where the controversial document is likely to be placed for passage during the Budget Session beginning January 31.

He criticised the Congress for "not taking strong stand" against the bill, when it was introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8.

"Congress should play its national role. The people of Assam are keenly watching them. So, I appeal them to stake a bold step and ensure that it is never passed in the Rajya Sabha," the peasant leader said in a press conference here.

The Congress will become history if it wants to play the "soft Hindutva card" and directly or indirectly supports the bill for passage in the Upper House, he said.

"We will try to meet the Trinamool Congress, the JD(U), the RJD, the Aam Aadmi Party, parties from the south and all other parties to request them not to support the bill," Gogoi said.

The firebrand RTI activist also warned the Centre and the state that if it is passed, then the "law and order situation in north east is surely going to deteriorate" and the BJP-led government will be responsible for that.

Gogoi had Friday announced that he will hold a 24-hour hunger strike on Monday during the coming 'Magh Bihu' festival, of which community feast is an integral part, to protest against the bill.

On 'Uruka' night, the first day of the three-day Magh Bihu, people enjoy community feast with new harvest and it is one of the main attractions of the festival. Magh Bihu is one of the three Bihu festivals of the state.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who fled religious persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and entered India before December 31, 2014, after six years of residence in the country, instead of the current 12 years, even if they do not possess any proper documents.