GUWAHATI: Opposition Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Thursday announced a 10-day state-wide programme to revive the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protest, which had been marked by violence two years ago.
AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi appealed to the people to join the protest in large numbers to commemorate two-years of the protest, which had seen five civilians losing their lives in police firing.
"The relevance of the anti-CAA movement has increased after the successful farmers protests, which showed that a democratic agitation can bring positive results. We believe that the anti-CAA movement should restart in the state," Gogoi told reporters here.
Democratic movements have an important role to play in a democracy and can reverse anti-people decisions, said Gogoi, who was at the forefront of the anti-CAA protest in December 2019 as the general secretary of All Assam Students Union (AASU).
When pointed out that BJP had won a decisive mandate in Assam in the Lok Sabha and the March-April state polls, the AJP leader said "The Congress had won the election in Assam after enacting the IMDT Act, which was anti-Assamese and people had protested against it".
The 10-day protest by AJP will begin with observing Martyrs Day on December 10 at Chhaygaon followed by 'Black Day' across Assam the next day.
The Centre's decision to repeal three controversial farm laws following the over a year-long agitation by farmers has given a fresh impetus to several outfits in Assam to revive the anti-CAA stir.
The AASU and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), outfits that were at the forefront of the anti-CAA protest in 2019, Raijor Dal and the AJP, the two political outfits formed by leaders of the protests, are now holding discussions within their organisations and with other groups to intensify the agitation.
The contentious CAA seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis entering India on or before December 31, 2014 from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after five years of residence here.
The anti-CAA stir began as a mass protest led by students and youth organisations in early 2019 before the Lok Sabha polls.
It subsided after the 2016 format of the bill lapsed in June 2019 when the term of the then Lok Sabha ended as it could not be tabled and passed in Rajya Sabha.
When the bill of the present CAA was passed in Lok Sabha on December 9, 2019, Assam had witnessed one of the most violent protests in its history which saw three rail stations, post office, bank, bus terminus, shops, dozens of vehicles and many other public and private properties being set ablaze or totally damaged.
After the Rajya Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on December 11, the state had erupted in uncontrolled protests, in which agitators fought pitched battles with the police and administration in almost every major city and town of the state.
This led to a government crackdown, including arrest of leaders of the stir, snapping of internet connectivity and imposition of curfew.
The momentum of the stir slowed down after the AASU, which came into prominence after the arrest of KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi and some of his associates, decided not to block roads, organise demonstrations in fields and complete daily protests before sunset.
The stir had almost faded away after the students union had announced a temporary break from protests in view of class 10 and 12 board exams in January-February 2020.
The agitation literally died following the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdowns.
The political parties born out of the anti-CAA stir had performed miserably in this year's assembly elections.
AJP had scored a duck and only Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi won the Sibsagar seat.