Insta
Citizenship Bill: All-Assam Students’ Union, 30 Other Outfits Call For Assam Bandh On 8 January As Mark Of Protest
Activists of All-Assam Students Union (AASU) take part in a procession against proposal to provide citizenship to minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan in India (Rajib Jyoti Sarma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
The All-Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and 30 other organisations on Saturday (5 January) called for a state-wide bandh on 8 January to protest against the scheduled tabling of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, reports Indian Express.
The development reportedly comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech in Silchar saying his government is committed to passing the Citizenship Bill.
The Bill would destroy the Assamese community, and it was introduced in Parliament completely disregarding sentiments of the people of Assam, AASU president Dipankar Nath was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
“AASU, the 30 (other) organisations and the common people of the state will keep protesting until the Narendra Modi government dismisses the Bill,” said Nath.
The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) has also called for a Northeast bandh on 8 January protesting against the bill. “NESO wants the Government not to play with the future of indigenous people of the Northeast for vote bank politics,” Indian Express quoted a NESO statement as saying.
The Citizenship Bill proposes to make minority (non-Muslim) immigrants from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan eligible for Indian citizenship. However, according to the 1985 Assam Accord, any person who came to Assam after midnight of 24 March 1971 would be identified as a foreigner.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
