The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad, a leading youth organisation of Assam, on Thursday said the state should follow Kerala in adopting a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) during its special session on January 13.
“If Kerala Assembly can take a resolution, why can’t Assam? If Manipur and Meghalaya can get inner-line permit (ILP) and be exempted from CAA after their chief ministers expressed reservations about the law, why can’t our chief minister take a stand against CAA? It is a request to Assam Assembly to adopt a resolution against CAA, given the widespread and sustained protests,” AJYCP general secretary Palash Changmai said.
The Kerala Assembly had passed a resolution, demanding withdrawal of CAA, on Tuesday. On December 19, the Meghalaya Assembly had adopted a resolution to move the Centre for implementation of ILP, which regulates entry of outsiders. The entire Nagaland is now under ILP with Dimapur being brought under the regime last month.
The AJYCP said it would move the Supreme Court for implementation of ILP in Assam and against CAA on January 5.
The agenda of the daylong Assembly session in Assam has not yet been disclosed but the Opposition Congress and AIUDF had called for a special session in view of the widespread protests against CAA.
Changmai, while declaring a series of agitation against CAA, said if the Centre had granted ILP to Assam earlier, the state would not have faced the crisis of survival today.
“The AJYCP, since its formation in 1978, has been demanding ILP. We need it for the protection of the political and land rights of the indigenous people. The Assembly must adopt a resolution to urge the Centre to implement ILP in Assam,” he added.
Reacting to chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s remark. “Please don’t isolate me. If you isolate me where will I go?” Changmai said, “Sonowal is the only chief minister who has killed citizens to bring in foreigners. Stop shedding crocodile tears and stay on the side of the people of Assam instead of doing the Centre’s bidding.”
Reacting to Sonowal’s remark, “Moi ki bhul krilu (What wrong I have done?)” and to his appeal to trust him, Changmai said, “The people of Assam committed a mistake by electing him as the chief minister. Sonowal had promised to implement the Assam Accord and deport foreigners. Now they are bringing foreigners. Is it not a betrayal of the faith reposed in him?”
The AJYCP alleged that the ruling BJP had resorted to “dominance, sops and hired turnout” to divert/douse the anti-CAA agitation. Changmai said it first tried “dominance” by imposing curfew, gunning down protesters and suspending Internet service.
“After dominance failed, it started announcing sops like recruitment to 55,000 grade III and IV posts in state government departments, one-time aid of Rs 50,000 each to 2,000 artistes, Rs 50,000 each to 1,000 budding sportspersons and Rs 50,000 each to 1,000 writers,” he added.
“The people who participated in the peace rally were hired and paid Rs 250 to Rs 500 each to attend the meeting, though the charge has been denied by the government ministers. Even the state government’s peace and progress rally could not restore trust. Their peace rallies were a failure,” Changmai alleged.
