The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Thursday said the party is not going to accept the Central Government’s move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and that the regional party will not accept any move to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis in Assam.
AGP president Atul Bora said this on Friday while interacting with the newsmen and added that the regional party, which is a partner of the ruling BJP led alliance Government in Assam, had already informed the party’s stand to the Central Government.
“There cannot be any compromise on the issue of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. We are not going to accept any move to grant citizenship to any individual who has entered Assam after March 24, 1971. The historical Assam Accord signed in 1985 has made it clear and the spirit of the Accord must be respected at any cost,” said Bora, who is also the state Agriculture Minister.
“Under no circumstance we are going to accept Bangladeshi citizens, who had entered Assam after March 24, 1971,” said Bora terming the Amendment bill as un-constitutional. He reiterated that the party will oppose the Bill tooth and nail.
It may be mentioned here that the AGP, Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) and the BJP formed an alliance before the Assam elections in 2016. Two years after the alliance, the AGP and BJP are, however, set to fight the forthcoming panchayat polls in the state separately.
Asked about the party’s alliance with the BJP in next year’s lok Sabha polls, the AGP president only said that the AGP is a partner of the BJP led NDA Government at the Centre and the BJP led Government in Assam and that the party is not going to be a part of any third front.