We Assamese are fighters to the core, our voices will prevail: Samujjal

The opposition to the amended citizenship law will go on in a Gandhian way till it is revoked, says AASU's chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya, asserting that Assamese people are fighters to the core and their voices will prevail.

The All Assam Students' Union (AASU), which led the historic Assam agitation from 1979-85, is now spearheading the anti-citizenship law movement.

The protesters are seeking that the new legislation be revoked, saying it "violates" the Assam Accord of 1985.

"We fought the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) tooth and nail, and we are against this CAA, and people of Assam will continue to oppose this with unrelenting spirit. We will not give up, our fight shall go on till the CAA is revoked," Bhattacharya said.

The AASU leader, who was also part of the Assam agitation, asserted that the anti-CAA movement has witnessed "unprecedented solidarity" from people who defied curfews like never before to protest peacefully and democratically to make their voices heard.

"I saw how people protested in Assam movement of 80s, but the way Assamese have come out in such huge numbers in such a short period, and at times spontaneously, speaks volumes for the pain they are suffering due to the imposition of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. People of Assam have rejected the CAA," Bhattacharya told PTI in an interview.

When asked whether the AASU and the masses will be able to sustain the momentum in the long run if the government does not respond to their demands, he said, "We Assamese are fighters to the core."