Students’ union unmoved by Dispur’s talks hint
GUWAHATI: Unconvinced by Dispur’s hint of talks with the protesting groups, AASU chief adviser, Samujjal Bhattacharjya has instead warned the Assam government against “coercive tactics” to suppress the mass movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Speaking to the media during the second day of the ‘Gana Satyagraha’ at Latasil playground here on Tuesday, Bhattacharjya asserted that the government dare not demean a peaceful movement by the people and should respect the Assam Accord by scrapping the ‘anti-Constitutional’ legislation.
Asked about state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s media conference on Monday where it was stated that people from lower Assam had indulged in vandalism, the AASU leader alleged that Sarma and the chief minister had from time to time given statements to “mislead” the people.
“The Prime Minister had expressed his good wishes to the people engaged in a non-violent movement in the Northeast. So we would like tell him that his ministers here are resorting to coercion and misleading people which will not go well with the people. The present unrest has been brought about by the governments in Delhi and Dispur. We therefore appeal to him to scrap the Act immediately,” Bhattacharjya said.
In regard to Sarma’s mention of talks with the Centre, he recalled how the organisations from the region were invited for talks (earlier this month) only to take a decision to pass the Bill in the Cabinet in less than 24 hours of the discussions.
“We had raised our points clearly then but none of them were paid heed to. We did not get any justice. But now, we would like to warn them that if the peoples’ voices are not heard, then this mass agitation will only get intensified across the region and only Delhi and Dispur will be held accountable for any adverse situation,” he warned.
AASU general secretary, Lurinjyoti Gogoi asserted that the organisation would not give in to any proposal for talks and instead appealed to the Prime Minister to announce scrapping of CAA. “We do not want to be swayed by another ‘drama’. With the movement gaining momentum across the towns and villages, they now want to suppress the agitation by talking with the protesters,” Gogoi said.