AGP members protested in front of the party headquarters at Ambari here on Sunday seeking the resignation of its leadership for supporting the “anti-Assamese, anti-party CAB (how the Citizenship Amendment Act was called when it was a bill)”.

The protest was held despite the leadership on Saturday deciding to move the Supreme Court against a law which protesters feel will destroy their culture and identity.

Protests against the AGP leadership were staged in Bora’s constituency of Bokakhat on Saturday and in Nagaon, Tezpur, Kaliabor and Sipajhar, which were once its strongholds. The members demanded the leadership to quit from the state government. Anger against the AGP leadership started mounting when its lone MP, Birendra Prasad Baishya, voted for the bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Even senior leaders like former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and former AGP president Brindaban Goswami have voiced their opposition against its leadership and ministers — Bora, Keshab Mahanta, Phani Bhushan Choudhury — and Baishya. Goswami said the leadership cannot travel on two boats. “They have to take a stand and that has to reflect the people’s sentiments,” he said.

The city AGP committee members demanded the resignation of the top central committee members alleging they had violated the party’s constitution by not opposing the act.

Guwahati AGP committee president Jiten Deka said its general committee had decided the party will oppose the act everywhere but Bora, working president Keshab, Choudhury and Baishya did not make their stand clear. “In fact, it was seen they were in favour of the act. We demand their immediate resignation because they did not take a stand against the unconstitutional bill,” he added.

Deka said voting for the act goes “against” the party and its constitution. “These members will have to resign because they have gone against the party or else we will keep protesting against them.”

Bora, however, said he was not aware of the protests. Speaking to reporters at his official quarters in Dispur, Bora said he was against the citizenship act as it was a threat to the Assamese community.

He alleged that the Congress and a few third parties were trying to gain political benefit from these protests.

Bora claimed that they had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cleared their stand on the act.

“We have asked our zilla committee members in all districts to submit memorandums to the Prime Minister. We have also asked the Prime Minister to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord as soon as possible claiming that the demography of the state has already changed,” he said.

Bora alleged that Mahanta had only protested outside and had never made any statement in any organisational meeting. “Why did he not protest earlier when the bill was being prepared? We are in power because the people of Assam wanted us,” he added.

Keshab said Baishya voted in favour of the act because the AGP is part of the BJP-led NDA government. He said the AGP was opposed to the act but the NDA was in favour of it.

Choudhury did not comment on his stand on the act or on the entire issue.