The All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu) has chalked out a massive agitation programme to oppose the Central Government’s move to amend the Citizenship Act and said that all the illegal Bangladeshi citizens, who had entered the State after 1971 must go back.
The powerful students’ body has said that they are going to organise a candle light procession across the State on Tuesday to make the people aware about the Centre’s move which will negatively impact Assam and other northeastern States and added that a massive agitation will be chalked out soon to oppose the move. The Aasu has also convened a public meeting on October 22 to chalk out its next phase of agitation over the Centre’s move.
It may be mentioned here that the Centre’s move to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 will make migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship in India.
Slaming the BJP led Government at New Delhi and Dispur, Aasu adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya said that the Central Government has been planning to change the demography of Assam by giving citizenship to Hindu migrants from Bangladesh.
“Every single illegal Bangladeshi citizen — be it a Hindu or a Muslim — who had entered the State after 1971 must leave the State. Assam had already overburdened with outsiders who entered the state before 1971. A small State like Assam cannot take any more burdens of refugees from other countries and they must leave,” said Bhattacharyya while warning that they would not accept the move at any cost.
He said that they have been in touch with other groups belonging to different ethnic communities and that a massive movement will be started soon to foil the attempt of the Centre to make Assam a dumping ground of Bangladeshis.
He also referred to Assam Accord signed in 1985 and said that the issue of Bangladeshi infiltration must be solved through Assam Accord. “Assam Accord is a national commitment and it must be respected. The Central Government had in 1985 agreed to detect and deport all those who entered the state after 1971 and it must be respected by the present Government,” he said.