Protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill continued in Assam on Thursday with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) holding a 10-hour hunger strike, while the Congress organised a 5-hour sit-in demonstration in all districts of the state.
Both the Congress and AGP, which recently snapped its ties with ruling BJP, said their protest will continue till the Bill is completely scrapped.
Extending his support to AGP's agitation, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) Adviser Akhil Gogoi said different movements across the state against the Citizenship Bill should unite to have the maximum impact on the government.
All the AGP MLAs and other senior leaders took part in the party's hunger strike in the state capital.
"The community is in danger and that is why we all have come out. The government should understand the public sentiment. If they do not understand, then they will be responsible for any untoward situation in North East," former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said while taking part in the protest.
Referring to BJP President Amit Shah's statement at a rally in Malda of West Bengal on Tuesday that all Bengali Hindu refugees will get citizenship once the Bill is passed, the senior AGP leader said such an announcement cannot be made "without government approval."
"So if this the thing, then we will continue to oppose till the Bill is completely scrapped. We have been opposing it since the beginning," Mahanta said.
Eminent intellectual Hiren Gohain and RTI activist Akhil Gogoi, against whom sedition case was filed along with journalist Manjit Mahanta for their speeches against the Bill at a public function, visited the agitation spot and extended their support to AGP's strike.
Gohain said it is a good news for Assamese people that AGP broke its alliance with the ruling BJP and now all MLAs together are having hunger strike to save the community.
"We all are united in our views on the Bill. The need of the hour is to unite all the movements now. I appeal to AASU and their allied 30 groups to come on board and be a part of the combined effort to scuttle the government's move to pass the Bill," Gogoi said.
The principal opposition Congress held a five-hour sit-in protest across all district and sub-division headquarters in the state.
Taking part in the demonstration in Guwahati, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Ripun Bora said: "Our party has strongly opposed it. Because of our strategies, the Bill was not introduced in Rajya Sabha in last session. So, we got temporary relief."
He said "They (the government) plans to introduce it in Rajya Sabha during this Budget Session. Our national leaders are discussing how to oppose it. We will stop it at any cost."
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Christians -- from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India, instead of 12 years -- the current criteria, even if they do not possess any document.This is applicable to those who came to India before December 31, 2014.
Massive protests broke out across the state and other parts of North East after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Silchar on January 4 that the Citizenship Bill would be passed as soon as possible in Parliament.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)