Dispur on Wednesday tried to reach out to groups opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act by asserting that it would “never” compromise on its commitment to protect the identity, land and language of the Assamese people and would initiate a political process to end the standoff at an appropriate time.

Addressing Dispur’s third news conference in as many days, senior cabinet minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said most of those in the government, including chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and him, have come through the Assam Movement days.

“We still have that character. We respect the sentiments of the people of Assam and we will never compromise on our commitment to protect the jati, mati, bheti and bhaxa of the people of Assam. We have never opposed peaceful protests and we are ready for a political dialogue,” he said.

The BJP’s election slogan was jati (community), mati (land) and bheti (base), to which Patowary added bhaxa (language).

Anti-CAA protesters have been warning the BJP and its allies against compromising the culture and identity of the people by supporting the Act.

Patowary reiterated, “We are still committed. Our chief minister is still committed. You will see that in the work he has done. We are very transparent.” However, in the same meeting, when asked about the government’s stand on the Act, he said it was very clear in the BJP’s manifesto. “The number of people benefiting from the legislation is very small. We will now create awareness about it,” he added.

The statements appear contradictory as, according to groups opposing the Act, jati, mati, bheti will be under threat if citizenship is given under the Act to persecuted minorities coming from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi, reacting to Patowary’s statement on a political dialogue, said, “It will be discussed when a formal offer is made but as far as our stand is concerned, we want all illegal foreigners, irrespective of religion, deported. We do not want any dilution of the Assam Accord. Our stand will not change, dialogue or no dialogue.” While the 1985 Assam Accord has fixed March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date for detection and deportation of illegal immigrants, CAA will grant citizenship to persecuted non-Muslims who entered India from the three countries till December 31, 2014.

PFI cadres held: Patowary said two leaders of the Popular Front of India (PFI), an offshoot of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, had been arrested in a Rangiya police station case (1237/19) in Kamrup district on the charge of arsoning, among others.

“They are PFI state president Aminul Hoque and press secretary Mozamil Hoque. The duo used to stay on the third floor of a building complex belonging to retired deputy superintendent of police Tahidur Rahman of Hatigaon in the city,” Patowary said. As many as 200 cases of rioting and arsoning, during the protest on December 11, have been registered across the state. The minister attributed the violence to a “third party”. “As many as 273 people have been arrested. A third party is involved in the violence. We want to make it clear that AASU, AJYCP and the jatiya organisations are not involved in the violence,” he added. The state cabinet would meet on Thursday evening.