GUWAHATI: CAA protest is returning in Assam as the All Assam Students Union (AASU) along with 30 ethnic groups on Thursday announced a series of agitation against the central government’s move to impose the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 in the state.
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The student body will take out a bike rally in all district headquarters of the state on March 4, burn a copy of the rules on the day of CAA imposition, tribute to five martyrs on March 8 on the day of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state, 12-hour hunger strike from 6 am to 6 pm on March 9 and satyagraha in all district headquarters for which the date would be announced later.
AASU leaders held a meeting with the representatives of 30 ethnic groups in Guwahati on Thursday to discuss the prevailing political situation in the state.
The meeting was chaired by AASU president Nilutpal Sarma and the objective of the meeting meeting was explained by general secretary Shankarjyoti Baruah.
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Later addressing a press conference, AASU chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said, “We held a meeting with the representatives of 30 ethnic student organizations. We decided to remove the anti-CAA protest for the greater interests of the indigenous people of the state.”
Bhattacharya warned the Centre and the state government not to play with the future of the indigenous people of the state by imposing CAA in the state.
CAA was passed by the Parliament only because of the number game, but the people of Assam and the Northeast will never accept it, said Bhattacharya.
"We want deportation of all Bangladeshis, including caste and religion, who entered the state after 1971,” he said.
“The Centre has decided to implement the CAA at a time when a legal battle is going on in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court allowed time for hearing on the matter for Assam, Tripura and other northeastern states and it was decided that for Assam, Tripura and other northeastern states the rules are one and the rest of India is different," Bhattacharyya said.
“When the Supreme Court has decided to hear two petitions for CAA separately, then how can the Central government enforce CAA at this time of the hour,” he questioned.
If CAA is bad for states having inner-line permits, how can CAA be good for states like Assam and other NE states with no inner-line permits, questioned Bhattacharya.
"We have been continuing our fight against CAA through both democratic and legal means. The legal battle we are fighting at the Supreme Court. Democratically, we have been always active among the people of Assam and northeast to make everybody understand that CAA is pretty much harmful to us," Bhattacharya further said.
He also made it clear that AASU will never change its stand on the controversial Act.
"The states that have the provisions of inner line permits (ILP) like Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur were exempt from the CAA. If this act is not beneficial for these four states, how could it be for other tribal areas in the country," he asked.
The areas falling under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India were exempted from this Act, Bhattacharya questioned.
With Lok Sabha elections around the corner, implementation of CAA remains a major political issue.
