The BJP on Saturday vowed to build a mass consensus on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam which has been witnessing widespread agitation against the Act since last month.
The party, which is facing sharp criticism from several quarters for introducing the law that violates the Assam Accord, decided to launch a door-to-door campaign across the state to counter the anti-CAA movement and “rebuild” its base.
Over 60,000 party workers from across Assam took part in Saturday’s congregation at the Khanapara field. BJP working president J.P. Nadda, general secretary Ram Madhav, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Assam BJP chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass, among others, took part in the rally. Drones were used to capture the massive gathering.
Madhav said the BJP would win the next state polls with a landslide victory. He assured that people of the state need not worry as long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in power. “There are doubts and apprehensions about the Act. It’s our responsibility to resolve them. It’s the duty of the BJP workers to assure people that the Act will cause no harm to them,” he added.
From Tuesday, BJP workers will start its door-to-door drive and reach out to people to explain the amended law and clarify confusions about it. On January 12, the party’s youth wing will meet youngsters from all political and apolitical groups with a similar objective. Besides, booth-level workers will hold drives from January 20.
Sonowal said, “All genuine Indian citizens, irrespective of their religion, need not fear as the Act will not affect them. Due to provocation by evil forces and lies spread about the Act, people are worried. I assure that the Centre will ensure the constitutional safety of the state’s indigenous people by implementing Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. The government will not do anything that affects Assam’s future and its people.” Listing out the various schemes and policies taken “in favour of the state”, Sonowal said the state will grant land patta to at least one lakh indigenous people of Assam by March.
Blaming former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta for allegedly cheating the people of Assam, finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the BJP is tying to rectify the blunders committed by the Congress and the betrayal by Mahanta. “Only to become the chief minister, Mahanta signed the Assam Accord with the Congress government and agreed to accept the cut-off year of 1971 by compromising the sacrifices of those who died in the Assam Agitation. Why did Mahanta accept 1971 as the cut-off year to identify illegal foreigners whereas in the rest of the country it’s 1951?” he asked.
Sarma condemned those who had taken part in violent protests recently and said the BJP would give a befitting reply to those trying to use the movement to fulfil their personal goals.
“Many of our party workers have been receiving threats from the anti-CAA groups. Today’s rally helped inspire our workers,” said Gautam Das, a BJP worker from Kamrup.
