The CPM on Friday hit back at the ruling BJP’s statement, holding the Left Front parties responsible for encouraging illegal immigration.

It also announced that CPM leader Sitaram Yechury would attend a protest meeting here on January 3 against the CAA.

“The people of Assam have been protesting for the last three years against the Act but the ruling BJP, without any respect for the people, made the law with the power of numbers it has in Parliament. Now, the BJP leaders face an unexpected situation over the spontaneous anti-CAA protests due to which they are now spreading falsehood and rumour,” said Deben Bhattacharyya, the secretary of the CPM’s Assam State Committee here.

He was reacting to chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s accusation at two public rallies on Wednesday and Friday that the Congress and the Leftists were responsible for encouraging illegal immigration to Assam.

“The people of Assam should be careful of such forces. The Congress and the Left were responsible for encouraging illegal immigration in Assam. Now they are spreading falsehoods,” Sonowal said at the peace rally in Jagiroad on Friday.

Asserting that the new law was “unconstitutional, communal and against the interest of Assam”, Bhattacharyya said, “The Left parties are always against illegal immigration and seek a legal remedy to the influx issue. We always demanded that the cut-off date should be March 24 1971. But the BJP is nullifying the Assam Accord for its political gain and spreading absolutely false information that those who are protesting are spreading rumours. We were never in the government in Assam so how we could we be responsible for the alleged influx?” Bhattacharyya asked.

The CPM supported the second AGP-led government in 1996 from outside, in which the CPI was part of the government. The CPM has no MLAs in the current Assembly.

Another leader, Suprakash Talukdar, said the BJP with its peace and progress rally, was trying to divide Assamese society.

“Everyone is saying the ongoing anti-CAA protest is not against any community, language or religion. But the BJP leaders are spreading disturbance in the state through pro-CAA peace rallies by passing communal remarks,” Talukdar said.

Ishfaqur Rahman, another CPM leader, said the Left parties are proud of leading the anti-CAA movement as the Act is an attack on the Constitution.

“People are protesting against the Act across the country as it attacks the basic characteristics of India. The agitation is for the safeguard of the future of India. If the Act got clearance from the Supreme Court, then it will be a first step to make India a Hindu Rashtra. The Left parties are protesting against the anti-Constitution bill and we are proud of it,” Rahman said.

The CPM added that the ruling BJP had falsely declared multiple times that the two paper mills in Assam will not stop functioning but they are at a standstill at present.