GUWAHATI: The All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu) strongly condemned Amit Shah’s decision to frame rules to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) soon after Covid vaccination begins.
The leading students’ body, which has been heading the anti-CAA movement since December last year, will soon announce its protest schedule against the citizenship law that could continue till the assembly polls.
Aasu general secretary Sankar Jyoti Baruah on Monday said Aasu will lend full support to the new regional party Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), as an alternative to BJP in the 2021 Assam elections, to resist the CAA implementation move.
“BJP was targeting to use CAA to garner votes in West Bengal elections. Amit Shah’s statement on CAA proves this. He has linked CAA with corona and wants to implement it at the earliest for BJP’s gain in West Bengal politics. Assam won’t accept this,” Baruah told TOI.
Even as BJP leaders have termed CAA a purely humanitarian law to shield persecuted non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Aasu general secretary said the “political motives” behind bringing CAA has been proved ahead of the West Bengal elections.
He said despite being an “apolitical organization”, Aasu will stand for an alternative against BJP in the assembly polls due in Assam early next year.
“We must advocate the alternative political force to give a reply to BJP, politically, so that the ruling party cannot impose CAA in Assam. It’s clear that the BJP-led government at the Centre will implement CAA before the assembly polls next year. We will maintain our apolitical character, but extend our support to AJP,” Baruah added.
Meanwhile, peasant organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti’s (KMSS’s) student wing, Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti (SMSS) announced that the last week of the year — from December 23 to 31 — will be “anti-CAA week”. Mass conventions will be organised in several districts of the state to mark a protest against the citizenship law.
“Relaunching the protest against the CAA implementation move, SMSS will organise bicycle rallies in villages, human chains and public meetings to give a momentum to the agitation against the citizenship law. BJP will face massive resistance in Assam,” said SMSS president Bittu Sonowal.
Singer Zubeen Garg, one of the prominent faces of the anti-CAA movement erupted in Assam in December last year, has vowed to stay firm against CAA. “CAA is coming. Everybody may take an U-turn but I will stand firm,” said Zubeen, while performing in a city event.
“This time we won’t protest on the roads but on our mobile phones. It’s going to be a virtual protest against the CAA,” said Zubeen.