The Opposition Congress in Assam on Thursday launched a fresh phase of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests across the north bank of the Brahmaputra.

A Congress padayatra began on Thursday from Bihali in Sonitpur district and it will end at Nalbari on February 20.

“We do not accept this Act. This is highly communal and anti-Assam. Our movement will continue till the CAA is scrapped by the Centre,” PCC president Ripun Bora told reporters.

The Assam PCC tweeted on Thursday: “28th day of Janajagaran Padayatra against CAA led by Assam PCC President @ripunbora from Bihali to Biswanath today. Many senior leaders from PCC joined in today’s Padayatra.”

“After gap of 15 days @INCAssam’s Janajagran Padayatra today started again from Bedeti of Bihali LAC. The famous Assamese singer Mahendra Hazarika performed number of Patriotic songs. After covering 4KM Padayatra also addressed a street corner meeting along with a big team of APCC,” Ripun Bora said in a tweet.

“After completion of @INCAssam’s Janajagran Padayatra at Bihali we covered nearly 5 KM in #Biswanath Town by Padayatra before that addressed a large gathering along with Dilip Baruah, Apuraba Bhattacharjee, Ramanna Baruah and a big team of APCC,” Bora tweeted.

The state unit president of the Youth Congress, Kamrul Islam Choudhury, said they would organise awareness meetings across all the districts against the “controversial” Act. “To divert the ongoing agitation, the government is arresting the peaceful protesters who were democratically protesting against the contentious CAA which is a threat to Assamese identity and geography. The more the government will try to suppress the voice, the more Congress will hit the streets,” Choudhury said.

Bora said: “A fresh phase of Janajagaran padayatra of the Assam PCC started from today at Bedeti of Bihali Assembly constituency. Before the padayatra, we addressed a huge gathering of nearly 2,000 people where famous Assamese singer Mahendra Hazarika sang patriotic songs. After the meeting, the padayatra was taken out covering nearly 4km with colourful cultural troupes.”

In the afternoon, the PCC addressed a huge gathering of nearly 4,000 people at Biswanath and took out a padayatra covering 5km of Biswanath town area.