All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) legislator Aminul Islam on Monday said protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) would continue even if the government decided to give Muslims from other countries Indian citizenship.
“The protest by the Muslims or anyone in the state is not because the Muslims persecuted in others countries are excluded in the CAA, but because the people want to protect Assam’s cultural identity and its language. The CAA is a tactic to divide people on communal lines and an attempt to divert their focus from the real issues,” Islam said.
“The government is trying to portray that the protesters are Muslims, but in reality, everyone, who loves Assam and India, is protesting irrespective of his or her religion.” He added those who “in true sense are nationalists” cannot be polarised. “The only persons who fell for the Hindu-Muslim divisive narrative are andh bhakts (blind supporters),” he said.
In Tinsukia district, thousands of protesters, including college students, shouted anti-CAA slogans and formed a 58km human chain on National Highway 37.
“We urge the people to continue the movement till the CAA is scrapped. We adhere to the Assam Accord,” Pratim Neog, general secretary, AASU, Doomdooma unit, said.
The protesters also vowed to protect the Constitution. Binay Dubey, president, AASU, Tinsukia unit, said: “Thousands of people joined hands on NH 37.”
In Dibrugarh, the AJYCP organised an anti-CAA rally at Old Government Boys’ High School field. The protesters holding banners and placards raised slogans to scrap the Act. AJYCP general secretary Palash Jyoti Changmai said: “A public voting should be organised on the issue.”
“Assam is not a dumping ground for illegal Bangla-deshis. The CAA is against Assam’s people, but the BJP government is forcefully imposing it on us. We will not accept any foreigner who had entered the state after 1971, be he a Hindu or a Muslim. The CAA is against the spirit of the Assam Agreement of 1985,” Changmai said. He sought implementation of the ILP in Assam. Similar protests were held by AASU in Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts.
In Lakhimpur, AASU and 30 ethnic organisations jointly organised a gana hungkar (mass uproar) against the CAA at the playground of North Lakhimpur HS School.
AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi said: “The land of Asom is gifted by our ancestors. It is not a property of Amit Shah or Narendra Modi. So only we will decide that who will live here in future. We never offered the government to use this land as a home of illegal Bangladeshis.”
AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath said: “If the people of Assam want to form a new political party to get the CAA scrapped, we will take necessary initiative.”
Additional reporting by Manoj Kumar Ojha in Doomdooma, Avik Chakraborty in Dibrugarh and Jitumoni Neog in Lakhimpur
