APW to move Supreme Court if the Bill is passed

Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016

GUWAHATI, June 9: The day the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 will be tabled in the Parliament or signed by the President of India, the Assam Public Works (APW) will move to the Supreme Court challenging the progress, said APW president Abhijit Sharma while talking to the media persons in Guwahati on Saturday.

Stating that the APW is critically observing the ongoing NRC updation, Sharma said, “We have been waiting for the publication of the second draft NRC scheduled on June 30, if anomalies appear we will move to the Supreme Court. We will also write letter to the President and the Prime Minister of India.”

Earlier, in July 20, 2009 the APW first filed a petition at the Supreme Court highlighting certain anomalies in the NRC. The APW also highlighted the existence of 41 lakh illegal Bangladeshis’ name in the 2006 voter’s list.

Reiterating the need of population control, Sharma said, “If an individual has more than two children, the father’s name should be removed from the voter’s lists.”

Responding to a question as to why APW has not been a part of the mass movement against the Citizenship (Amendment) bill, 2016, Sharma said that there is no point of movement against the Bill. Contrary, he said that those who came out to the street to stage demonstration against the Indo-Bangla land swap deal, now they have been enjoying royal patronage. Moreover, he stressed that the financial source of the individuals and organizations behind their movement should be scrutinized.

Commenting on the ULFA-Centre peace mediator Rebati Phukan’s missing case, Sharma said that the ULFA (I)’s Commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah has a hand in the whole episode. He said that Paresh Baruah should either come out and sit in the negotiation table or commit suicide.