STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Prime Minister should give due respect to the democratic and peaceful opposition against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam, and withdraw the Act. Else the masses’ movement will continue here, said AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi hereafter the PM’s rally in Kokrajhar, on Friday.

Pointing out that “the people of Assam are not at all feeling secure over the new Citizenship Act”, the AASU leader told The Sentinel, “If the Act is implemented then Assam will have to take the additional burden of Bangladeshis, and the people will be facing serious threats to their land, culture, tradition and language among others.”

The student leader further said, “It is against this backdrop that we have already filed a case against CAA in the Supreme Court. This legal battle will be carried out simultaneously with the people’s spontaneous democratic and peaceful movement.”

Pointing out that “before the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, then Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had declared in various poll rallies that all Bangladeshis will have to go back to Bangladesh after May 16, 2014”, the AASU leader said, “The time has come for the Prime Minister to implement this promise.”

Incidentally, that was the day when the Parliamentary poll results were announced.

Referring to the Bodo peace accord, the AASU leader said, “We hope that aspirations of the Bodo people will be fulfilled. However, steps must be taken by both the Centre and the State government to ensure the security, safety and rights of also those people who belong to the other communities and tribes in the BTAD area.”

He further suggested, “Meaningful peace parleys should be held with all the other rebel groups in Assam including the ULFA (I) by giving due respect to them.”

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