Hundreds of organisations converged on Guwahati on Monday to submit a memorandum to the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.The panel, headed by BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal, met several outfits and will hold talks in Silchar on May 8 and 9. The proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act has been staunchly opposed in Assam . Only the Bengali-speaking communities from Barak valley are supporting the amendment bill.Opposition Congress has opposed the bill. “We will not allow dilution of the Assam accord inked in 1985 by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. We will oppose the bill in Parliament and if required will move the Supreme Court against the bill,” Assam state Congress chief Ripun Bora said.Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said that the state will not accept any more burdens of outsiders. Peasant organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti ( KMSS ) said that the bill proposes to change the citizenship by birth to citizenship by religion.KMSS leader, Akhil Gogoi made a submission to JPC. “If 1.90 crore Hindu Bangladeshis come to Assam, it will jeopardise the political future of Assamese. We will not allow the political future of the indigenous people to be break. The committee has not included in its itinerary a visit to Northern Assam, the hill areas and the border areas. It has allotted just one day for whole of Brahmaputra valley,” he said. “Time allotted for the hearing is not sufficient. People have a lot to say about the proposed bill.” Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an ally of the BJP-led Assam government, too opposed the bill. Party chief Atul Bora said it will divide the society. “Assam accord will be diluted. The bill is against the secular fabric,” he said.The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced by the Centre in the Lok Sabha in July 2016 to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make illegal migrants who belong to six communities – Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians – eligible for citizenship of India.Indigenous Forum Assam, which is an umbrella organisation of several outfits, including former Ulfa leaders, opposed the bill. “We believe that the proposed amendments is unconstitutional and against the basic structure of the constitution.”The Assam accord was signed after a six-year anti-foreigners movement (1979-1985). In Assam, the cut-off date for the detection and deportation of foreigners is set at March 25, 1971, irrespective of religious affiliation.Union minister of state for railways Rajen Gohain said that amendment bill is for the entire country, and not for Assam alone. “Political colours are being added to the amendment bill. The JPC has members from different political parties and people must not get apprehensive,” said Kamakhya Prasad Tassa, a member of the JPC and the Lok Sabha MP from Jorhat.He defended the JPC decision to spend more time in Silchar and said that there are connectivity issues. “It is not possible to return from Silchar same day as there is communication bottleneck.”