Only regionalism can champion Assam’s causes: Asom Gana Parishad State President Atul Bora

Only regionalism can champion Assam’s causes: Asom Gana Parishad State President Atul Bora

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, July 19: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Thursday asserted that regionalism is still relevant and only a regional party could boldly raise issues concerning Assam before Delhi.

The AGP, the lone regional party came to power in the State after the end of the historic six-year long anti-foreigners movement in 1985. The party is now part of the BJP-led coalition government in Assam. Making an oblique reference to the “double standard” of the BJP and the Congress, AGP president Atul Bora while addressing a massive rally against the Centre’s move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 at Nalbari on Thursday said the fast changing socio, political and economic scenario in Assam has once again brought relevance of regional politics to the fore. He said for a State like Assam plagued by myriad problems the only hope for the people is a regional political party like AGP.

The AGP’s “Shankhnaad” rally at Nalbari town was attended by thousands of people on Thursday.

Bora who is a Cabinet minister in the BJP-led Government in Dispur, did not mince his words while saying that a conspiracy has been hatched by some forces to bring back illegal Bangladeshis again to the State by converting the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 into an Act. He said though his party is with the ruling coalition in the State, it is ready to sacrifice anything to defeat Delhi’s move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

The BJP-led NDA government at the Centre brought the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to grant citizenship to Hindu migrants from Bangladesh which violates the fundamental spirit of the historic anti-foreigners’ movement and Assam Accord.

Former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta who had led the anti-foreigners’ movement, said the AGP will not accept any deviation of the Assam Accord. He too asserted that only regionalism can champion the cause of greater Assamese society.

The rally was attended by two other AGP ministers in the Sarbananda Sonowal’s ministry—Keshab Mahanta and Phani Bhusan Choudhury and all top leaders of AGP.

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