Sending a strong message to the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre, Assam’s powerful students’ body All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu) on Saturday resolved not only to unite everyone in Assam but to carry out a sustained movement against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 and said that Assam should be exempted from its purview even if the Amendment Bill is passed.
The students’ body on Saturday organised a ‘Raij Mel’ a kind of public meeting to discuss its next phase of agitation over the issue and said that the students’ body will oppose tooth and nail the Amendment Bill, which envisages to minorities including the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship in India.
The ‘Raij Mel’ organised by the Aasu on Saturday was participated by several prominent citizens of Assam, litterateurs, representatives from different ethnic communities and members of different walks of live to take a resolution over the issue of Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016.
“We have to carry out a sustained movement against the Bill so that the interest and rights of indigenous people of Assam can be secured. The BJP led government at the Centre is determined to pass the Bill but we are going to oppose it till last breath,” said Aasu Adviser Samujjal Bhattacharyya while addressing the meeting on Saturday.
He said that Assam had already taken the burden of lakhs of illegal immigrants who had entered the state till March 25, 1971. “A small State like Assam cannot take any more burden. The NDA Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi must assure the people of Assam that Assam will be exempted from the purview of Bill even if it is passed,” he said.
Bhattacharyya said that an Aasu delegation will visit New Delhi on Tuesday next to meet the parliamentary select committee examining the Bill and will present its view. He also appealed to the BJP led Government in Dispur to convince the Centre over the issue. “The BJP Government in Assam had received a huge mandate in Assam polls this year. The BJP had promised of ‘parivartan’ (change) before the polls and they must keep the commitment,” said Bhattacharyya.
Prominent citizen and renowned litterateur, Dr. lakshmi Nanda Bora reminded about the Assam Accord and said that Assam Accord made it clear that those who have entered Assam after 1971 are illegal foreigners and they must leave. “Assam Accord is the mandate of the people of Assam and that should be respected by the Central government,” he said adding that Assam had already lost several years waiting for implementation of the Accord.
“India is a secular country and there cannot be two sets of rules for Hindus and Muslims. The Centre is trying to accept the illegal Hindu migrants and deport the Muslims. How can this be accepted. This is against the very ethos of India,” said another senior citizen and academician Dayananda Pathak.