Assam CM urges youth to work hard, not to join anti-CAB stir

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday claimed that forces inimical to the state's interest are trying to create "rifts between different communities" through agitations and the youths should work hard for development insted of joining those movements.

The BJP leaders' appeal came in the backdrop of intensifying protest across the state against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which is likely to be introduced in Parliament on Monday.

"The young generation of the state must endeavour to put Assam strongly at the world stage with hard work, dedication, honesty and sincerity and they must not while away the most productive time of their lives in movements and agitations," Sonowal said at a function here.

At the same programme, senior BJP leader and minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged the people not to allow the forces that are trying to create rifts among various communities to succeed as the state has not gained anything from movements in the last 40-50 years.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there. They will be given Indian citizenship after residing in the country for five years, instead of 11 years which is the current rule.

Indigenous people of the Northeastern states fear that the entry of these people will endanger their identity and livelihood. The AASU and various other organisations have launched a series of agitations against the Bill.

Sonowal said the present state government was formed by the indigenous people and it will not do anything to jeopardise the identity of the Assamese race.

"Building a robust work culture in the state should be the prime objective of everyone and youths must not be misled to join agitations based on concocted and baseless grounds," the chief minister asserted.

He was speaking at the foundation stone laying programme of the 1.4 km-long double-lane flyover near the secretariat complex here, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 127.20 crore and scheduled to be completed within three years.

"Positive change in the society will not come through agitations and movements but it will come through hard work and dedication as demonstrated by the state government in the last three-and-a-half years," he said.

During his address, state Finance Minister Sarma said, after a long time, Assam is going through one of the sustained periods of peace and development.

"Some forces inimical to the state's interest are trying to create rifts between different communities and stall the development initiatives of the government," said Sarma, who is also the Convenor of the NDA's regional wing North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA).