Guwahati: If anti-CAB movement has started subsiding in three states ruled by Inner Line Permit (ILP), the student bodies of Assam and other northeastern states have intensified their agitation to block Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) expected to be tabled in the parliament in its new format next week.
The All Assam Student Union (Aasu) workers who took out motorcycle rally throughout the state on Monday also demonstrated in front of regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) offices accusing the party of betraying the people who gave them mandate to oppose the CAB.
Expressing surprise over the silence of AGP leaders who had left ruling alliance while opposing the CAB, the Aasu leaders said that party has surrendered before the saffron leadership.
The Aasu leaders said that their protest against CAB will continue until and unless the government scraps the bill. The Aasu which has also banned the entry of Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Dibrugarh University on Monday demonstrated outside the parental hose of the chief minister where he had gone to attend a marriage ceremony.
Describing the CAB as a threat to the existence of indigenous people of the state, the Aasu leadership, which has been invited for a talk with ministry of home affairs, said that they are not going to budge from their stand.
Claiming that proposed discussion with union home minister was a “sheer drama”, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS) on Monday said that foreigners may not be able to buy land in the sixth schedule or the area administered by ILP but they will be able to work and caste their vote besides taking land on lease.
The KMSS chief Akhil Gogoi who has not been invited for talks by union home ministry on Tuesday said that Centre has not said that the areas under sixth schedule and states having ILP are excluded from CAB, rather it said that CAB would not violate or over rule the existing provision of these areas.
Visibly not happy with decision of the home ministry to isolate him in discussion, the KMSS chief said that discussion was one way traffic so far. As soon as union home minister Amit Shah declared that clause VI of the Assam Accord would be implemented before the CAB is passed, most of the organisations are silent and protest against CAB has become weak.
It is significant that with union home minister’s meeting with all the stakeholders in New Delhi, anti-CAB movement has come down significantly in ILP ruled states—Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
