By Bhupen Goswami (PNI)

Guwahati : Amid protest all over the state, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal exaggerated the need to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 in the state has appealed the people of Assam to support the Bill. Addressing the Auniati Satra branch inauguration event in Banderdewa, Sonowal said he would fight till the end to for the interest of indigenous people of Assam. He also said that he supports protests, but it should be on false propaganda’s. Sonowal said he became Chief Minister to protect the interest of the indigenous people. Speaking of the Constitutional Safeguard for the people of the state, he said that the previous governments didn’t work much on it. He feared that in 13 districts of Assam, the indigenous people would become minority if the Citizenship Bill is not passed. He appealed people from different walks of life to come together in support of the bill. The Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPC) role in implementing the bill has been impartial ,added the CM. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 has been passed in the Lok Sabha. However it is yet to be passed at the Rajya Sabha. In the meantime Amid the speculation over Citizenship (Amendment) Bill issue, BJP leaders have been trying to diver the anti Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) narrative to Satra encroachment and have been successful to some extent. Significantly, the present Satradhikar of SriSri Auniati Satra, Dr. Sri Sri Pitambar Dev Goswami on Sunday asked Sarbananda Sonowal to take side of Assam people and requested him to raise voice against the controversial Bill. Dev Goswami advised CM Sonowal to present the voice of the people in front of BJP high command. “Spiritually religious people shouldn’t do anything which is against the people” – Dev Goswami reiterated.