GUWAHATI: Assam braces for a fresh round of protests against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent statement that CAA will be notified and implemented before the Lok Sabha elections.
The 16-party United Opposition Forum Assam submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday through Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, seeking her intervention in the matter.
Congress’ state president Bhupen Kumar Borah said the 16 parties met on Wednesday and decided to oppose CAA.
“From the very beginning, the people of Assam were not in favour of CAA. Today, all 16 parties met the governor. We submitted a memorandum to the President of India through him. We categorically mentioned that the CAA will nullify the Assam Accord of 1985. Secondly, CAA is against the Constitution of India,” Bhupen told journalists.
He said they would also write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an appointment so that they could explain to him the reasons behind their opposition to CAA. “If our request is turned down, we will have no option but to launch a mass movement across the state,” Bhupen said.
Trinamool Congress’ state chief Ripun Bora said the main content of the memorandum submitted to Murmu was Shah’s statement that CAA would be implemented before Lok Sabha polls.
“We urged the President to intervene and prevent the Centre from implementing CAA in Assam and repeal it because this is unconstitutional and anti-national,” Ripun said.
He claimed the Act would endanger the history, culture, social fabric and identity of the people of Assam. He said if the Centre does not revoke its decision, the 16 parties, along with the people of Assam, would launch a democratic mass movement.
The opposition bloc had on Wednesday threatened that a state-wide bandh would be called if CAA was implemented.
Director General of Police GP Singh said on Thursday that the state suffers financial losses of Rs 1,643 crore a day when there is a bandh. He warned that the amount would be recovered from the bandh organisers.
Five people, including a schoolboy, were killed during the anti-CAA protests in the state in 2019.