by Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : BJP’s ally AGP on Tuesday opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill has launched a protest rally from Latashil to Chandmari in Guwahati supporting the Assam Bandh. The Bandh called by 46 organisations seems to have been supported by the people of Assam as the roads are almost devoid of any vehicles. Gathering at the Latashil field, AGP addressed the crowd of hundreds who had come out in support of the bandh and opposing the Bill. Cabinet Ministers Phanibhushan Choudhury and Keshab Mahanta were among the other leaders from AGP present at the gathering. Former CM Prafulla Kumar Mahanta also addressed the gathering. The field echoed with the slogans of “Cancel Citizenship Amendment Bill”, “Asom Gana Parishad zindabad”. The protest rally left latashil field around 11:40 am, which witnessed more than thousands participating in it. However Thousands hit the roads in Guwahati on today against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Representatives of more than 60 organizations which include indigenous people’s bodies and student organizations have joined in the mass agitation programme to pressure the Assam government to oppose the Bill.The agitation has received further impetus by the decision of Meghalaya and Mizoram governments to oppose the controversial Bill. The Bill was tabled in Parliament in 2016, and seeks to grant citizenship to religious minorities (non-Muslims) from neighbouring Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.“It’s a people’s movement, and we will continue. But I would request the Centre and state government not to test the patience of the people. You (AGP and BJP) had promised to work for the interest of the indigenous people… people voted for you. But now, don’t betray. Or else you will have to face the same fate like Congress. You will be thrown off from the throne,KMSS Leader Said today.Meghalaya under the National People’s Party (NPP) that has an alliance with the BJP, has also decided to oppose the Bill in May this year. Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an ally of the BJP in Assam has been opposing the Bill and has threatened to quit the alliance if the BJP goes ahead with the Bill. The AASU leadership has asked Sarbananda Sonowal led Assam government to follow the footsteps of the neighbouring states. “If states like Meghalaya and Mizoram can take firm stands for the sake of its people, why can’t our government take similar action?” All Assam Student Union Chief Advisor Samujal Kr. Bhattacharya asked.Assam chief minister Sonowal was part of the AASU and Assam agitation before joining BJP in 2003. “Being an AASU leader himself, Sonowal should have stood for the cause of the people of the state rather than what BJP leadership instructs him to do.Most of the organizations and individuals in Brahmaputra valley in Assam support the cutoff date March 25 of 1971 to detect the illegal citizens as per the Assam Accord. Assam Accord was signed after a six-year bloody movement in 1985 to drive out illegal citizens from Assam. The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Tuesday staged a massive protest rally here against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, asking the BJP-led government at the Centre to throw the legislation into the dustbin if they respected the historic Assam Accord and the people of the state.AGP President Atul Bora also termed the Assam Accord as the party’s “Gita, Bible and Quran” and said that it must be implemented for the sake of securing the rights of the indigenous people.The rally that started from Latasil playground to the city’s Chandmari area, was against the Bill that seeks to make the minority communities such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible for applying for Indian citizenship.The Bill is under consideration of a joint parliamentary committee of both the Houses.”The Assam Accord is Gita, Bible and Quran for us and I want to ask the BJP leadership whether they respect the Assam Accord or not or the blood of martyrs of the Assam movement who laid down their lives for the state,” said Bora while addressing the rally.The AGP is a partner of the BJP-led alliance government in Assam and the party has three legislators in Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s cabinet.While over 60 organisations in Assam called for a 12-hour Assam bandh on Tuesday to protest against the Bill, the AGP decided to hold the protest rally.”We contested the 2016 elections with the BJP following discussion with our grassroots workers and the people of Assam. However, we are ready to come out of the alliance if the BJP government goes ahead with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016,” said AGP leader and state Water Resources Minister Keshav Mahanta.The bandh drew a near total response across the state although the government had issued instructions to the administration to ensure normalcy.