Parishad pledges support to groups leading anti-CAA stir
GUWAHATI: The Sadou Asom Jatiya Swahid Parial Samannayrakhi Parishad, comprising families of 855 martyrs of the Assam Agitation, has reposed full faith in the Supreme Court and resolved to extend support to the ongoing movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) agitation led by All Assam Students Union and other state organisations.
The apex court will on January 22 hear petitions arguing that the Act is anti-Constitutional. Several organisations/individuals and parties from Assam have filed petitions seeking scrapping of CAA.
In a statement issued here, the Parishad condemned the BJP-led government in the state for failing to live up to its pre-poll pledge to implement the Assam Accord in letter and spirit.
“The state government has violated the Accord by imposing a legislation which threatens to destroy language, literature, culture and identity of indigenous communities in Assam. The pre-poll pledge, it appears now, was only to get votes to come to power,” the Parishad alleged.
“Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, had (earlier as a leader representing the state organisation), even signed the affidavit in Supreme Court for scrapping of the IM (DT) Act, and not to accept any foreigner (be it from any religion) settling in the state post the cut-off date of March 25, 1971,” it said in the statement.
The Parishad alleged that by exempting the Sixth Schedule areas (seven districts) in the state, the government was trying to further divide the state.
It may be mentioned that 76 families of the martyrs of the Assam Agitation had in January last year returned mementos conferred on them by the state government in December 2016, as a mark of protest while the Centre and the state government was trying to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in Rajya Sabha.
The Parishad also comprises 3,000 persons who were injured or rendered physically challenged during the six-year Agitation since 1979.