GUWAHATI: Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has committed a ‘’historic blunder’’ by not extending support to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and has betrayed the Assamese, state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Tuesday, a day after the party withdrew support to the ruling BJP-led alliance.
Former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta had committed the first blunder by signing the Assam Accord and the party made the second ‘’historic blunder’’ by not extending support to the Bill, Sarma said.
Lok Sabha passed on Tuesday the Bill that seeks to amend Citizenship Act 1955 to grant Indian nationality to people from minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 even if they don’t possess any proper document.
“We are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Bill and saving 18 Assam assembly seats from going into the hands of ‘Jinnah’ or AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal’,” Sarma said.
“I am proud of being an Assamese and the BJP is committed to protect the interest of the indigeneous population,” the minister told reporters here.
‘AGP quitting won’t affect BJP poll fortunes’
A day after Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) pulled out of the BJP-led coalition government in Assam, BJP Assam unit president Ranjeet Kumar Dass on Tuesday said that AGP’s move will not affect BJP’s poll fortunes.
Addressing a press conference at state party headquarter here, Dass said, “The exit of AGP from the alliance will not affect BJP in any way. We were sure of winning 11 seats in the Lok Sabha elections in the state when AGP was with us and we are still sure of winning as many.”
He added that the BJP had won seven out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in last General Elections in the state when it was alone, but this time, BJP has allies in Rabha, Tiwa and Ganashakti parties.
He said bitterness had crept between the two parties during last month’s Panchayat elections and he had informed BJP central leadership about it.
He said, “Our leaders, Amit Shah and Ram Madhab, had said a decision on the alliance would be taken when they visit Assam. Just as we were discussing this, the AGP talked of quitting.”
AAPSU hails AGP move
to sever ties with BJP
The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) on Tuesday welcomed the Asom Gana Parishad’s decision to quit from the BJP-led coalition government in Assam over the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016.
“We appreciate the AGP for taking the bold decision in this regard. We also appeal to all the leaders of the political parties in the North East to come out in open and speak for the indigenous people ,” AAPSU general secretary Tabom Dai told UNI.
He further appreciated the stand taken by the Conrad Sangma-led Meghalaya government in this regard.
”The Bill is detrimental to the indigenous people of the North East. There are likely chances of violence because of the negligent attitude of the Centre,” Dai said. (UNI)