AASU stages massive protest demanding repeal of CAA across Assam

LAKHIMPUR: Amidst poll fever, which has reached its peak, Lakhimpur district was once again rocked with extensive protest programme initiated by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) on Saturday opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).

As per instruction issued by the central committee of the AASU, the activists of the Lakhimpur district unit of the organization took out a bike rally across the district demanding for the repeal of the contentious Act. By initiating the agitation programme, Lakhimpur AASU clearly declared that the organization would not retreat from the fighting line until and unless the contentious Act was repealed. All 22 regional bodies under the Lakhimpur district AASU, including North Lakhimpur, Telahi Kamalaboria, Naoboicha, Laluk, Harmoti, Kherajkhat border, Narayanpur, Dhalpur, Simaluguri, Bihpuriya, Kadam, Boginadi, Chaoldhowa, Ghilamora and Dhakuakhana initiated the same protest programme in their respective jurisdictions. The protesters rocked the environment by shouting number of slogans reiterating the demand to repeal the Act.

The activists of the North Lakhimpur regional unit AASU took out the bike rally from the Swahid Bhavan premises covering North Lakhimpur town and many other places of its jurisdiction. Taking part in the protest programme, AASU State executive member Dhanmoni Dutta said that AASU would never accept the CAA under any circumstances. "CAA must be repealed. We will fight against the Act till the last drop of our blood," Dhanmoni Dutta stated.

TANGLA: The protesters, carrying the organization's flag and placards, started the bike rally from Tangla town and passed through the main thoroughfares covered several kilometres of distance on the outskirts of the town. More than 100 motorcycles were part of the motorcade taken out by the Tangla unit of AASU. The protesters shouted slogans against the BJP-led Central and State governments and avouched that the people of State would never accept the implementation of the contentious Act, which was an attempt to push the Assamese to the verge of extinction.

Addressing the gathering, AASU assistant general secretary Jayanta Kumar Bhattacharjya said, "The Act is an attempt to destroy the identity, culture and language of the indigenous people of the State. The Act is a threat to our State and the region. We have opposed it tooth and nail and will continue to oppose it until the government scraps it."

"Assam is already overburdened with immigrants from Bangladesh, causing serious economic and social stress and an identity crisis that threatens the existence of the indigenous communities of the State and granting citizenship on religious lines can never be accepted as the Act goes against the spirit of the historic Assam Accord," he added.

DHEKIAJULI: The AASU activists of the Dhekiajuli unit along with some Sonitpur District Committee AASU activists shouted slogans against the BJP-led government during the motorcycle rally which passed through the NH-15, Dhekiajuli town on Saturday. The AASU activists urged upon the voters of Dhekiajuli and Borsola constituencies to completely wipe out the BJP in the forthcoming assembly elections.

AASU Dhekiajuli unit president Shankar Das said that the BJP government had betrayed the people of Assam by passing the CAA. He also said that by trying to implement the CAA, the BJP government was trying to threaten the existence of the people of this land.

AASU Sonitpur district unit vice-president Bhaskar Nath, organizational secretary of Sonitpur District Committee of AASU, Kuldip Saikia, other leaders and more than 200 AASU activists took part in the motorcycle rally.

DEMOW: The bike rally started from the office of AASU, Demow Regional Committee situated in Hari Pora Road, Demow. Aditya Sarma, vice-president of Sivasagar District Students' Union, and Ankur Borah, secretary of Sivasagar Subdivision Students' Union, addressed the activists. The activists shouted various slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and demanded to scrap the CAA.