GUWAHATI: Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti leader Akhil Gogoi has accused the Narendra Modi-led government of tweaking rules of two legislations to validate the Hindu Bangladeshis who have settled in Assam and the country post 1971, saying whether the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 is passed or not, “20lakh such migrants will remain as legal residents of the state”.
The firebrand leader, who has launched a mass awareness campaign against the Bill here since Sunday, blamed the Prime Minister for not living up to the commitment of not allowing Bangladeshi nationals after May 16, 2014, alleging that two legislations, Foreigners Act and the Passport (Entry into India) Act, were changed to facilitate more such migrants, from not only Bangladesh but from Pakistan and Afghanistan, to settle in the country.
“Notifications such as the Foreigners Amendment Order 2015 and the Passport Entry into India Amendment Rules 2015 were made to allow these migrants to not only settle but work, buy property and do business in the country. So a conspiracy is being hatched by the BJP and RSS to pass the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 and make these migrants citizens of the country,” Gogoi told reporters here on Wednesday.
The KMSS leader, given the impending threat to the state, demanded special Constitutional status for Assam on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir (Article 370), Nagaland (Article 371 A conferring land rights to the state), Mizoram (Article 371 G conferring land rights to the state), Andhra Pradesh (Article 371 D conferring powers to the state to disallow employment to persons outside the state) and Sikkim (Article 371F to reserve seats for locals in the Assembly).
“We also demand that these notifications be scrapped at the earliest,” he said.
Gogoi further appealed to the civil society and organisations to observe Black Day on May 20 to protest BJP national president Amit Shah’s visit to Assam.
Shah will hold a meeting on that day with the constituents of the North East Democratic Alliance to discuss preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections besides taking part in another meeting with chief ministers of non-Congress ruled states of the Northeast.
“We request everyone to observe Black Day on May 20 to protest Amit Shah’s visit to the state. Here, we urge the state government to formally permit us to display black flags at the LGBI Airport here on his arrival and at the venues of meetings to be addressed by Shah on that day. We commit that the demonstration would be non-violent and without any confrontation or conflict,” the KMSS leader said.