A group of ruling BJP MLAs, apparently rattled by the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, on Thursday urged the Assam chief minister to directly reach out to the masses and allay their fears and doubts over the legislation which has been dubbed by protesters as “anti-Assam, anti-Northeast”.

Senior legislators Prasanta Phukan and Padma Hazarika told The Telegraph that about 15 MLAs met chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and conveyed to him the immediate need to address people’s concern and fears over the legislation, given the situation in the state.

They said they requested the government to take the following steps:

• Expedite submission of the report of the high-level committee on Clause 6 of Assam Accord, which provides for constitutional safeguards to the Assamese people, and implement its recommendations
• Granting of ST status to six communities in Assam
• Implement steps for preservation and promotion of the Assamese language; ensure its primacy as the state language
• Implement steps to protect the land of the locals by regulating selling and buying of land

Both Hazarika and Phukan said they have been taken aback by the protests which have started targeting elected representatives.

“The CAA is now sub judice. It is in Supreme Court and we will go by whatever the court decides. But we also know there is apprehension and fear over the legislation which we will need to address. The government needs to address this, allay the fear that our culture, identity, land and language are at threat. We want our chief minister to convey to the masses what the government is doing to protect it,” Hazarika, who represents Sootea constituency, said.

Phukan said conveying the steps the government is taking to protect jati (community), mati (land), bheti (mainstay) and bhaxa (language) will, to a large extent, allay the fears of the masses and help restore normalcy.

“We asked the chief minister to seriously take up these issues with the Centre and expedite steps to allay people’s fears. People are doubting us, targeting us,” Dibrugarh legislator Phukan said.

When asked why Clause 6 recommendations were not implemented before the Act was brought in, Hazarika admitted that this should have been done but it got delayed because of various factors such as the first committee remaining a non-starter.

The MLAs also pointed out that the government needs to reach out to teachers, midday meal and Anganwadi workers and the disabled, hear their grievances and address them. “We want both the chief minister and the finance minister to sit and find a way to address their grievances,” Hazarika said.

The suggestions reflect the party legislators’ concern over the government’s handling of these issues.

They fear that any mishandling will add fuel to the ongoing protests.

By evening, things started moving. Sonowal held a meeting with representatives of the six communities seeking ST status and the chief minister’s office called media houses to say that the chief minister would address the media on Friday morning.

So far, the state government has held three news conferences but these have been confined to law and order, the number of arrests and to say that it has no problem with peaceful protests against CAA.