Lakhimpur MASS sends 11,500 postcards to President, PM against Citizenship Bill

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR, June 5: The Lakhimpur district unit of Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS) on Monday sent 11,500 postcards to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, strongly opposing and demanding the immediate scraping of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The organization has administered this significant step for the greater interest of the indigenous people of Assam at a time when massive protest programmes against the controversial Bill have been rocking the State. The organization started this postcard campaign against the Bill at Girls’ HS School, Chariali of North Lakhimpur town in association with Citizens’ Society of the district. The activists of the organization took out a rally and went to the district post office in order to deposit the postcards. The participants of the rally proceeded towards the post office taking the postcards in their hands. Keshav Bhuyan, president of the District Pensioner Association, Naren Sarmah, the secretary of Retired College Teacher Association, Indramoni Rajkumar of Axam Xahitya Xabha, Rewat Gogoi, adviser of PCPD, journalist Sailen Baruah along with several eminent citizens of the town took part in the rally.

Chinu Saikia and Raju Singha, the district chairperson and secretary of the organization respectively, slammed the Union and State governments over the issue. “The Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and State government led by Sarbananda Sonowal are anti-Assamese governments. Despite massive protest against the controversial Bill across the State, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal have not paid attention to initiate steps to convince the people of the State regarding scrapping of the Bill. “On the contrary, the Chief Minister is neglecting the issue by reiterating his statement that he would do nothing to affect the sentiments of the Assamese. We condemn such lackadaisical attitude of both of the governments,” said Raju Singha. He informed that the organization would initiate another mass agitation in the district by distributing leaflets against the Bill with a view to make the common people aware of it.

People from various walks of life spontaneously extended their support to this postcard campaign by signing against the controversial Bill which is deemed to be a tremendous threat to the indigenous people of the State. The protesters demanded scrapping of the Bill. A social activist of the town, Shyam Sundar Saikia extended his helping hand to this movement by willingly offering 10,000 postcards to the organization for the success of this movement.