I made no statement against State's interest: Devgoswami

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, April 20: The dust on the two Axom Xatra Mohaxabha (AXM) members’ statement before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 on April 17, 2018 in Delhi is far from settling down. The situation has come to such a pass in the State that the AXM is going to hold its steering committee meeting on the issue on Saturday to clear the picture.

Protests on the issue have entered the fourth day on Friday. Various organizations of the State, including AXM’s district committees, have been condemning the two AXM members – Janardan Devgoswami and AXM general secretary Kusum Mahanta – for, what they say, taking an anti-Assam stance on the controversial Bill before the JPC.

Meanwhile, clearing his stand on the issue AXM member Devgoswami said on Friday: “We didn’t represent the AXM at the hearing of the Bill. I represented the Bodula Ata Sewa Samiti, not the AXM. I made no statement that may go against the interest of Assam, nor will I make any such statement ever. However, as a religious mentor I’m bound to ensure the security of Hindus. I feel everybody has the right to express his/her individual views on any issue, let alone the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. However, I’ve not said anything that may go against the people of Assam.”

However, the dust is far from settling down on the issue with the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU), the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), the KMSS, AXM’s district committees and other organizations condemning the AXM duo. They have been demanding the AXM to take action against the two AXM members.

In order to dispel obscurity on the issue, AXM president Jitendra Nath Pradhani has called a meeting of the AXM’s steering committee on Saturday. “We need to let the people of the State see a clear picture on the issue. We’re going to clear the picture after the steering committee meeting,” Pradhani said.

Meanwhile, JPC member and Congress MP Bhubaneswar Kalita told The Sentinel on Friday: “The written statement submitted to the JPC by the two AXM members was not on AXM pad. It was, however, not clear on whose behalf the two members signed the statement.”