From Our Special Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Former Assam chief minister and founder president of Asom Gana Parishad, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, termed the Union Cabinet’s nod to the CAB “unfortunate” at a time when the Centre had invited organisations and parties of Assam and the North East for consultations on the contentious legislation.
Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, Mahanta pointed out that while the Union Home Ministry has the prime responsibility for implementation of the Assam Accord, it has instead “welcomed CAB (which is against the spirit of the Accord) through the back door”.
He further took a dig at current AGP dispensation led by Atul Bora, saying that the party office-bearers did not inform him about what transpired in the recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“We are not aware of what transpired in the consultative meeting as the party office-bearers have not informed us. We don’t know whether there has been any understanding on the matter. But what we know is that as many as 855 persons were martyred during the anti-foreigners movement (Assam Agitation) between 1979 and 1985 and their sacrifices cannot be allowed to go in vain by welcoming more foreigners through CAB,” Mahanta said.
He said CAB will not only violate the provisions of Assam Accord but will destroy the social and ethnic fabric of Assam and North East.
“The rights of the indigenous people will be infringed upon and development of the region as a whole will be hit if CAB is passed in Parliament,” he said.
Mahanta appreciated apex students’ organisations such as the All Assam Students’ Union, which was a party to the signing of the historic Assam Accord of 1985, and Asam Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad, for their uncompromising stand against CAB.