AASU opposes Centre's move to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis

By our Staff Reporter

Lakhimpur, October 19: The activists and supporters of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) carried out a torchlight procession during the evening hours in North Lakhimpur district recently. Many supporters shouted anti-government slogans during the torchlight procession and protested against the Central Government’s move to grant citizenship to Bangladeshi Hindus foreigners.

In the five months rule of the saffron government in Assam, the Centre’s decision to grant citizenship to Hindu migrants has caused anger among the people of the State. The simmering anger against the Modi government’s decision to revise the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 1955, is inching towards boiling point.

AASU staged a massive protest in North Lakhimpur against the Centre’s decision to grant citizenship to Hindus fleeing religious persecution from countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan. If amended, the Act would eble lakhs of undocumented Hindu Bangladeshis residing in the State to get Indian citizenship, which would be contradictory to the Assam Accord that deems any person – whether Hindu or Muslim – as ‘illegal migrant’ if found entering the State from Bangladesh after March 24, 1971.

More than 200 AASU activists of Lakhimpur district committee came out on the streets criticizing the government’s decision on Tuesday evening.  The student association, which led a six-year long anti-foreigners’ movement in the State, demanded immediate cancellation of the Centre’s plan to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu refugees from Bangladesh.

Dhanmoni Dutta, president of AASU Lakhimpur district committee, Kish Das, Sanjib Konwor and Pulak Bora of AASU were present during the torchlight procession-cum-protest.

“Assam has been a dumping zone for Bangladeshi immigrants. The State took a lot of refugees during and after partition and also during the 1971 Bangladeshi war. AASU will never allow it to happen again. It will be a threat to the very existence of indigenous people of Assam. The protest has been organized all over the State to make the Centre and the State Government understand that their decision is wrong. AASU and the people of the State oppose and completely criticize the government. We demand that citizenship should never be granted to the Bangladeshi immigrants, irrespective of religion,” said AASU leaders.