Citizenship (Amendment) Bill: protests break out in Assam

Protests against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill erupted across Assam Friday with a youth organisation staging demonstrations, while the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and an influential civic body asserted the legislation will not be accepted by people of the state at any cost.

On the eve of upcoming winter session of Parliament where the bill is expected to be introduced, members and supporters of Asom Jatiyabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) that was in the forefront of the protest against CAB early this year took out rallies and held massive sit-in demonstrations.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India even if they do not possess any document.

The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8 but it was not tabled in Rajya Sabha then.

The AJYCP agitators raised slogans against the BJP-led central and Assam governments for allegedly adopting an "anti-Assam policy to settle illegal hindu migrants in the state by amending the Citizenship Act".

Holding banners and placards against the bill, one of the demonstrators asserted, "the people of Assam cannot accept cab as it will make the indigenous people and their language extinct with the settlement of people from other countries here".

RTI activist Akhil Gogoi,leader of the social organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Parishad (KMSS) that was part of the anti-cab movement earlier expressed the concern that the population of Assam would increase as 1.9 crore Bangladeshis would come to the state after the legislation came into force.

Asserting that Assam and Tripura would be the worst affected, Gogoi while talking to the media Friday urged all the political parties and non-governmental organisations to stand unitedly against the bill and create public awareness to oppose the government's move to implement the cab.

Dr Samujjal Bhattacharyya, Chief Advisor of the influential All Assam Students Union that had led the anti- cab protests early this year said, "We will not tolerate the bill at any cost and continue to protest against it. We will not accept the divisive policies of the government in the name of religion".

"We can not let BJP do whatever they want just because they have the numbers in Parliament. With the Act, the definition of immigrants will get changed directly affecting the demography of Assam and the North east region", the AASU averred speaking to reporters Friday.

Urging Meghalaya and Mizoram Chief Ministers to oppose the bill, Bhattachayya accused Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal of "not having the courage to speak in front of his national leaders by standing with the people of the state".

Opposition Congress leader Debabrata Saikia also while talking to the media said people must oppose cab as it was against the Assam Accord of 1985 for ensuring constitutional protection of the indigenous people.

Finance Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a meeting said cab would be introduced within the first two days of the upcoming winter session of Parliament and it will not impact the interests of indigenous people.

On being informed about Friday's statewide stir against the bill, Sarma said protests are part of democracy and people have the right to do so.

In September this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stated at a NEDA (North East Democratic Alliance) meeting in Guwahati that the existing different laws of all states of the region will remain untouched even with the introduction of the cab with the cut-off date of December 31, 2014.