GUWAHATI: The Citizen Right Protection Forum, Assam (CRPFA), a conglomeration of 26 organisations of Bengali-speaking people, has decided to call off proposed mass rally on November 17 at Khanapara here to build a common platform to mount pressure on the Centre to enact the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
The decision was taken following a meeting of the representatives of the organisation with Asam Sahiya Sabha (the apex literary body in Assam) on Friday here. Now a meeting will be organised by Asam Sahitya Sabha wherein Bengali as well as Assamese organisations will be given a chance to put forward their views on the Bill in the same platform.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make illegal migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan and came to India before December 2014, eligible for citizenship in the country
It may be mentioned that the Assam Government didn’t grant permission for the proposed mass rally on November 17 in the greater interest of maintaining law and order in the state.
“No permission will be given for organising the November 17 mass gathering as per the law and order assessment of the Assam Government. Post the Silapathar incident (in Dhemaji), the government assesses the law and order situation before giving permission to any mass gathering. The November 17 meeting may lead to another Silapathar like incident as per the assessment. We also request the organisations not to organise the November 17 meeting,” Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said recently.
It may be mentioned that 46 indigenous organisations in Assam had called for statewide bandh on October 23 last against the Citizenship Bill and demanding the government to decline permission for proposed mass rally on November 17 as called by the CRPFA to press for enactment of the Citizenship Bill.
