BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were shown black flags by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) in protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Upper Assam on Friday.

The people of Assam have been protesting against the Act since it was passed by Parliament in December last year.

Dass faced black flags at Borpathar in Golaghat district where he had gone to attend party organisational meetings. AASU members waved black flags at Dass, who waved back his gamosa at them. The protesters also shouted slogans like “BJP murdabad” and “Long live AASU”.

A protester said, “We cannot accept CAA which violates the Assam Accord. The BJP government should immediately scrap it. We will continue our protest till it is scrapped.”

The CAA promises Indian citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from three neighbouring countries who entered the country till December 31, 2014 because of alleged religious persecution while the Assam Accord says that anyone who enters the country without documents after the midnight of March 21, 1971, would be deemed a foreigner.

Sarma faced black flags at Sivasagar where he had gone to visit the family members of former Speaker Pranab Gogoi, who passed away recently.

BJP leaders have been claiming that the intensity of anti-CAA protests in the state has ebbed. However, the AASU, which has been spearheading the anti-CAA protests in the state, said they were not organising protests for the past few weeks because of the ongoing board exams. From Thursday, AASU leaders here have been deliberating on how to take forward the anti-CAA protest once the board examinations are over.

After wrapping up a week-long tour of Upper Assam on Sunday, Dass had launched another three-day tour on Thursday to hold party organisational meetings in Upper Assam. He held a meeting in Golaghat constituency on Thursday, in Sarupathar on Friday and is slated to hold one at Naoboicha in Lakhimpur district on Saturday.

Sources in the BJP said the party is working hard to attain its goal of winning over 100 seats in the 2021 Assembly election. A source said Dass has been trying to boost the morale of party workers in the wake of the anti-CAA protests. “Party workers are confused after the anti-CAA protest hit the state and many of them have left the party. The party leaders are trying hard to give them confidence,” he said.