GUWAHATI: All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has turned critical of one of its former presidents and the present chief minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal for remaining silent in the recent conclave of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) where the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah reiterated the Centre’s commitment to enact the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).
The AASU general secretary Lurin Jyoti Gogoi have stated Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has betrayed the people of Assam by not raising his voice against the Centre’s plan to enact CAB which had already triggered largescale protest in Assam and the rest of the region.
While heaping praise on the chief ministers of other NE states especially Meghalaya chief minister, Conrad Sangma for opposing the CAB terming it against interest of indigenous people in the region, the AASU leader Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and regional Asom Gana Parishad (a constituent of the NEDA), should take lessons from chief ministers of the neighboring states.
Regarding the political parties’ diverse stand on the CAB and the final National Register of Citizens (NRC), the AASU leader stated that there was not much difference between the BJP and the Congress. “The BJP is after the votes of linguistic minorities while Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) want the votes of religious minorities.
The ASSU is preparing to move the Supreme Court over the issue of alleged inclusion of names of illegal migrants in the final National Register of Citizens (NRC), published in Assam. The AASU leader stated that they were already in touch with competent lawyers to represent their case in the apex court.