Citizenship Bill: Assam BJP unit alleges Congress’ involvement in attack on AASU

Guwahati, Jan. 29 (PTI/IANS):  Refuting AASU’s claims that the BJP had orchestrated the attacks on its members at Nalbari two days back, the saffron party’s state unit on Tuesday accused the opposition Congress to be behind the incident

Several All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) activists were attacked while they were protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill during Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s visit to Nalbari on January 27.

Addressing a press conference here, Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass showed pictures of Congress personnel being present among the AASU protestors on that day.

“The Congress was involved in the Ghograpara incident in Nalbari district. We have evidence of Congress being involved in it,” he said.

Dass claimed that the Congress is engaging in such incidents with a malafide intention to spoil AASU’s name and ruin its image.

“They want to create a rift between the BJP and AASU.

The Congress wants to ruin the image of AASU,” Dass claimed.

Showing pictures to prove his allegations, the BJP state chief identified one Abdul Ali, who is the president of Ghograpara Block Congress, to be among the AASU protestors.

Dass also identified five others — Nalbari Congress vice president Sarat Kalita, general secretary Lutfur Rahman, spokesperson Khanin Lahkar, Nalbari Youth Congress president Gyandeep Kalita, and general secretary Moidul Islam — among the protestors.

“The Congress workers had come with sticks and stones and attacked the AASU activists. The AASU will never protest with sticks. It was Ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Chandra Mohan Patowary who controlled the situation from getting out of control,” he claimed.

He urged the district administration and AASU to investigate into the incident.

BJP workers and AASU activists had allegedly clashed when the students’ organisations were protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill during a bike rally taken out by the saffron party workers to escort Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary who had gone to Nalbari for the foundation stone laying of a hospital by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

AASU, however, has alleged that its members were stopped and attacked by the BJP workers with sticks and stones and carried the violence to the police station too.

The AASU, which had yesterday staged ‘black flag’ protests across Assam against the alleged attack, today blocked the National Highways across the state for one hour against the “autocracy of the BJP government” and demanding punishment for the guilty.

Thousands of AASU members waving flags and banners staged demonstrations and blocked National Highways across the state. They also blocked NH-37 at Basishtha Chariali in Guwahati.

AASUs chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya told reporters that both the state government and the ruling BJP would have to pay dearly for trying to dominate a democratic movement forcefully.

Meanwhile, on the citizenship bill, the BJP state chief appealed the public, irrespective of language, religion and ethnicity, not to get emotional but analyse the bill and understand what it is and what will be its impact.

“AASU has the right to protest against the bill as they were involved in the Assam movement. But others are creating unrest by talking about Assam’s separation from India and creating a French Revolution-like situation,” Dass said.

“The Citizenship Bill is for the entire country. The Lok Sabha passed it. Now, it is in Rajya Sabha with the Opposition there against it. BJP wants the bill to be an Act which has been amended only to reduce the stay in India for obtaining Indian citizenship to six years from the existing 12 years,” he said.

AAPSU appeals to Rajya Sabha MP from Arunachal to oppose CAB

The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU) Tuesday appealed to Mukut Mithi, Rajya Sabha member from the state to express strong objections to the Citizenship Amendment Bill when it will be tabled in the Upper House by the BJP-led NDA government.

Mithi is a Congress MP.

In a letter to the lone Rajya Sabha MP of the state, the apex students body of the state urged him to pursue the concerns of the people of Arunachal Pradesh with other political parties and the Centre.

While drawing the attention of the MP towards the sensitive issue, the students union stressed on the urgent need to rollback the bill and ensures its rejection in the Rajya Sabha as it is “unconstitutional, anti-tribal and anti Northeast.”

The union said the AAPSU under the aegis of the North East Students’ Organization (NESO) along with the other constituent organizations have been rigorously protesting the Bill.

Congress, Left spreading misinformation on CAB — Sonowal

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday slammed the Congress and the Left Front for spreading misinformation about the Citizenship Amendment Bill and said that they are creating confusion among people.

Sonowal made it clear that the Bill was drafted keeping in mind the national policy of the Union Government and it would in no way affect the interests of the indigenous people of Assam.

“The misinformation spread by some vested interests that 1.90 crore Bangladeshi migrants would get settlement in Assam after passage of the Bill by the Rajya Sabha is a blatant lie,” said Sonowal, while laying the foundation stone of Assam’s fourth and largest Eri Spun Silk Mill at Borgang in Biswanath district on Tuesday.

Stating that the high-level committee constituted for the implementation of the sixth schedule of the Assam Accord is a golden opportunity for the state, Sonowal called on the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) to take the lead for its fruitful execution.

He also urged the people to remain vigilant against such misinformation campaigns and thwart the ulterior designs of evil forces.