Anti-CAB protest in Assam grows shriller

Guwahati: Intensifying their protest against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the All Assam Students Union (AASU) on Sunday night took out a massive torch-light procession in which a large number of people took part and shouted slogans besides showing black flags to Assam Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal.

The AASU also launched a frontal attack on the chief minister who in a meeting earlier said that nothing could be achieved by agitation so youth should not be part of any concocted and baseless agitations.

The ongoing agitation has hit the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) which was rocked by mass resignation of party workers who accused their party leaders including party president, Atul Bora, of sacrificing the interest of the people to remain in power. Angry AGP party workers vandalised the party office in upper Assam’s Sadia. The regional AGP, which has three ministers in the ruling alliance, has been silent over the CAB but many of its senior founder leaders, like Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Brindawan Goswami, have been opposing the CAB. The AGP leadership refused to pay any heed to their leaders’ demand to hold a central committee meeting of the party on CAB.

On Sunday, Sonowal, who has been at the receiving end of ongoing anti-CAB movement, called upon the youth of the state to remain vigilant and suggested that they not join any agitation which can block the development of the state.

Sonowal, himself once a student leader who led various protests and agitations, said, “You can't change the future through protests and agitations. Youth of the state must endeavour to put Assam on the world stage. Building a robust work culture in the state should be the prime objective for everyone. Youths must not be misled to join agitations based on concocted and baseless grounds.”

Assam finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, regretted that some forces are trying to create a rift between communities to stall the development works of the government.