State BJP leaders sing different tunes

GUWAHATI, May 7: On a day when large number of organizations and individuals staged widespread protests and submitted representations to the Joint Parliamentary Committee against the Centre’s move to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis, the State BJP leaders on Monday sang different tunes on the issue. State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass while supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 said a false propaganda is being spread that Assam will only have to share the burden of Hindu migrants from Bangladesh once the Bill is passed in the Parliament. He said there is no possibility of new Bangladeshis coming to Assam. 

Union Minister of State for Railway and BJP MP from Nagaon Rajen Gohain said he does not believe that the Assamese will face identity crisis if Hindu Bangladeshis are given citizenship. “Those who are raising slogans against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill must also demand that the people of Barak Valley ,must speak Assamese instead of Bengali,” Gohain said.

Jorhat BJP MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa who is also a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee said there has been a gross misinterpretation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill by a section of people and Assam has no reason to be worried. He alleged that the situation has been diverted in such way in the State to exploit the Hindu migrants by different elements for their own advantages. “There has been a sudden eruption of swadesh prem (love for country) among some people,” Tasa said with a tinge of satire.