The All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu) is back on the streets of the state protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as calls for its implementation grows ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Activists of local units Aasu and allied organizations staged intense protests at Laluk in Lakhimpur district and in Baksa on Saturday against the legislation.
At Baganpara in Baksa district of lower Assam, where BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma addressed an election rally on Saturday, Aasu organized an eight-hour-long hunger strike demanding withdrawal of the CAA.
At Laluk, activists from Aasu and united front ethnic tribes and communities burnt effigies of three AGP ministers — Atul Bora, Keshab Mahanta and Phani Bhusan Choudhury — criticizing the regional party supporting the BJP.
“Aasu has been monitoring the moves of the BJP-led government at the Centre. As speculated, if the rules for implementation of the CAA are notified by the Union government, the anti-CAA movement will be back with full vigour. Saturday’s agitations are just a prelude,” newly-appointed Aasu general secretary, Sankar Jyoti Baruah, told TOI.
He alleged that the BJP has already started its vote bank politics in Assam and West Bengal. “It’s clear that ahead of the assembly elections in Assam and West Bengal in 2021, the saffron party is trying to woo their voters with CAA as a tool. There will be intense agitation once again if the Centre implements the legislation. Soon, our agitations will be chalked out,” he added.