Citizenship Bill: Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal faces people's ire

GUWAHATI: Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday faced massive protests from anti-Citizenship bill protestors at Charaideo, the first capital of the Ahom kingdom established by the first Ahom king Chao Lung Siu-Ka-Pha in the 13th century. This is the first time Sonowal came face-to-face with protestors of the bill ever since the state was gripped by unrest over the Centre's proposed bill.

Sonowal had gone there to open a replacement power project. A large number of people holding placards opposing the bill greeted him on Saturday morning at the helipad where Sonowal's chopper landed.

The public protest has come despite Sonowal's repeated messages to the people that his government will not go against the interest of the people. The state is divided over the bill- the Brahmaputra valley against it and the Barak valley in its favour.

Charaideo district superintendent of police Jitmol Doley said that people of the area were protesting near the helipad against the Citizenship Bill. "Few youths were planning to show black flags which we came to know earlier in the morning and hence that was prevented," he said.

On May 16, students of Dibrugarh University, where Sonowal studied, announced that they would not allow the chief minister to enter his alma mater until the Centre drops the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

Since the visit of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on May 7, the state has seen unprecedented protests against the proposed legislation that offers citizenship to refugees belonging to Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan on religious grounds. The protestors fear that granting of citizenship to migrants from Bangladesh would turn the indigenous people into a minority in their own state.

Sonowal, while dedicating the Lakwa Replacement Power Project to the state at a function at Maibella, said it is an important achievement towards state government's efforts in attaining self-reliance in power generation. He also said that generation of power is one of the objectives of his government as attaining self-sufficiency would lead to industrialisation and generation of employment avenues.