Filmmaker Rima Das has joined the protests against Citizenship Bill in Assam (File photo)

GUWAHATI: Artistes across cultural spheres in Assam have come out in strong protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. The mood is reminiscent of the days leading up to and during the Assam Agitation of the 1970s and ‘80s, when the late Bhupen Hazarika was among the most prominent cultural icons from Assam supporting the anti-foreigner movement. It was difficult back then to find a voice critical of the movement. And the issue then, as it is now, was that of Assamese identity.

“Artistes from Assam will keep protesting against the bill. On Thursday, we have organized Sankalpa Divas at Tezpur in Sonitpur district, coinciding with Silpi Divas, marking the death anniversary of Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Assam’s first filmmaker and doyen of Assamese literature,” Bollywood singer Zubeen Garg said on Wednesday.

Garg’s voice has rung loud and clear among the bill’s critics. In 2016, Garg’s ‘Asomor Ananda Sarbananda’ had created a buzz as BJP’s campaign song in praise of the party’s chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal. The saffron party went on to win the Assam assembly election for the first time. On Sunday, Garg tweeted, “Dear Sarbananda Sonowal da, wrote a letter to you a few days back. Guess you are too busy counting the black flags to respond. So, can I get the votes back that you earned using my voice in 2016? I am ready to refund the remuneration.”

Another Bollywood singer from the state, Angarag ‘Papon’ Mahanta too has now come forward. “We promote Assamese culture across the globe and if we cannot preserve it in our own state, it will be lost. We cannot allow it to happen. There can be no two opinions — Assamese sentiments have been hurt," he said.

Filmmaker Rima Das, whose ‘Village Rockstars’ was India’s official entry to the Oscars 2019, posted: “I am against Citizenship Amendment Bill. #Lovemyland #Lovemypeople. Prayers.”

The link with the Assam Agitation is not just in the parallels but also in the continuity of purpose. The Assam Agitation, which culminated in the Assam Accord, sought to keep “foreigners” — shorthand for migrants from Bangladesh — out of the state. Now, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which proposes legitimacy for non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan is seen as a “threat” to the spirit of the Assam Accord.

“I was a part of the agitation, taking the fight to the powers with my brush and paint. Now, I protest against the bill with as much spirit. The only difference is my age,” painter Noni Borpujari said. Borpujari had highlighted the Assam Agitation and political situation of the state in his print and painting exhibition in Delhi in 1984.

Octogenarian painter Pulak Gogoi was of the same view. “Today, when people are angry over the bill, we are all with the people’s movement,” he said.

Sculptor Biren Singha said that people saw the bill as a threat to the cultural identity of indigenous people. “No one will allow someone to take away their language and culture because these are the dearest things we have. We were part of the Assam movement because we have to save our identity. Now we are sensing the same threat,” he added.

Earlier, Sahitya Akademi award-winning writer Nagen Saikia, an active supporters of the Assam Agitation, refused to be part of the Centre’s high-powered committee on the implementation of Assam Accord’s Clause 6, on the grounds that the bill itself contradicted the Accord.

Saikia said that if the government was at all serious about the implementation of Clause 6, it would have brought a bill in the parliament. Clause 6 says, “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.”

Popular Assamese singer, lyricist and music director Manas Robin said cultural icons are speaking up because they “share the sentiment of a large section of the people”. But for Robin, the contention against the bill is that it makes religion the basis for citizenship

