Forward of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival in Assam on Friday on a two-day go to, opposition events staged a protest in Kaliabor in Nagaon district towards the Citizenship (Modification) Act (CAA).
The sit-in by the 16-member United Opposition Discussion board, Assam (UOFA) was held close to Kaziranga, the place the PM is scheduled to spend the night time after reaching the state within the afternoon.
UOFA spokesperson and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi mentioned the protest was initially slated for Saturday however was held a day earlier than on the request of Ahom group organisations.
“The prime minister might be unveiling a statue of Ahom common Lachit Borphukan. As such, the group requested us to alter the date of the protest. Therefore, we organised it a day earlier,” Gogoi advised reporters on the demonstration web site.
He maintained that the CAA is a menace to the identification of the Assamese individuals, and they’re going to proceed protesting it.
One other senior Congress chief, Debabrata Saikia, additionally maintained that the protests towards the CAA will proceed.
“The federal government can use all techniques and energy to suppress us. However the individuals are agency of their opposition to the CAA and we are going to proceed with our protests,” the chief of the opposition within the state meeting added.
The UOFA, All Assam College students’ Union (AASU) and 30 different organisations had earlier introduced holding protests towards the CAA, which seeks to supply Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis getting into India on or earlier than December 31, 2014 from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after 5 years of residence right here.
Union Residence Minister Amit Shah had earlier mentioned that CAA guidelines can be notified and carried out earlier than the Lok Sabha polls.
The UOFA had mentioned {that a} state-wide bandh might be referred to as the very subsequent day the contentious act comes into power, adopted by ‘gherao’ of the Janata Bhawan (the secretariat).
It had additionally submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, saying they might undertake a “democratic mass motion” throughout the state if the CAA just isn’t repealed.
The AASU and 30 different teams took out motorbike rallies throughout the state on Thursday towards the contentious Act.
The organisations will mild lamps earlier than the portraits of 5 slain youths, who have been killed in police firing throughout anti-CAA protests in 2019, on Friday, they mentioned.
The state had witnessed large protests after the Rajya Sabha handed the CAA on December 11, 2019, with agitators partaking in pitched battles with safety forces, forcing the administration to impose curfew in a number of cities and cities.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has urged these opposing the CAA to strategy the Supreme Court docket for redressal of their grievances reasonably than taking over agitations.
First Printed: Mar 08 2024 | 2:13 PM IST
