GUWAHATI: The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) which is now engaged in peace-talks with the Government of India, has threatened to pull out of the peace process in case the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 is passed in the Parliament.
Participating in the 11-hour mass hunger-strike programme organised by All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) here on Tuesday, the general secretary of the ULFA Anup Chetia said, “The ULFA will pull out of the peace negotiation with the Government of India in case the Citizenship Amendment Bill is enacted. The Government of India’s attempt to forcefully get the Bill passed in the Parliament has already induced many youth of the state to go back to the jungle .”
About 28 indigenous people’s organisations and a large number of artistes from the state today participated in the mass hunger-strike programme to register their strong protest against the Bill that is popularly viewed in Brahmaputra Valley of Assam as a threat to the political and cultural identity of indigenous community as well as to Assamese language.
The AASU has been steadfastly opposing the Bill and initiated efforts to bring all the prominent students’ organizations of the Northeast under the banner of North East Students Organisation (NESO) launch region-wide campaign against the Bill.
In addition to Assam, the campaign against the Bill has already gathered momentum in Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura among the indigenous communities.
Besides AASU, another mass- based organization, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS) has launched a statewide mass campaign against the Bill holding meetings, rallies in different parts of the state.
On the other hand, many organizations in Barak Valley region and Nagaon district in Central Assam have supported the Bill that aims to grant citizenship to people belonging to Hindu Bengalis, Sikhs, Parsi etc. minority communities who had to flee neighbouring Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan to escape religious persecution there.
