The Assam Congress on Tuesday said the state’s tea workers were still worried that Bangladeshis who get citizenship under Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) might take away their jobs or the government may settle CAA beneficiaries in the tea gardens.

PCC media cell chairman Bhagirath Karan told reporters here that the state government was yet to take a convincing step to allay tea garden workers’ apprehensions.

Assam cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said that such apprehensions among tea garden workers had arisen out of “rumours” and had threatened action against rumourmongers. The government had also advertised in the local media, clarifying that only tea garden people have rights to additional tea garden land.

Karan said, “Merely giving advertisements in newspapers cannot dispel people’s apprehensions. The government should take concrete steps. Is there any meeting by the government on these issues or instructions to deputy commissioners or circle officers?”

He said people had lost faith in the government and were not ready to accept what it said.

“They have already seen how the government took a U-turn on its promise not to build big dams in the Northeast and how the six communities of the state were hoodwinked in the name of giving (them) Scheduled Tribe status,” he said.

Karan said the protest against CAA needs political resolution rather than considering it a law and order problem. “The Assam government is looking at the protest as a law and order problem. The issue needs a political resolution,” he said.