12 hours Assam bandh call over Citizenship Bill gets total response

[caption id="attachment_214061" align="aligncenter" width="565"] A view of deserted Ganeshguri flyover during 12-hour Assam Bandh, in Guwahati, Tuesday.(PTI)[/caption] Guwahati, Oct. 23 (IANS): The call for a 12-hour Assam bandh on Tuesday given by over 60 organisations against the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 drew a total response across the state, except the four districts of Barak Valley. Most of the government offices in state capital Guwahati recorded thin attendance, while commercial establishments across the state remained shut in response to the strike call. Roads wore a deserted look, with only a few buses of the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) plying. The bandh supporters blocked roads by burning tyres. They also attacked buses and other vehicles plying on the road in defiance of the bandh call. These organisations are protesting against a meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee with the Ministries of Home and External Affairs over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. The bill seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, drawing opposition from several organisations in Assam. The Assam government had on Monday sent out instructions to the state government employees to report to work and threatened that punitive action will be taken against those who absented themselves on Tuesday. Assam BJP President Ranjit Kumar Dass said that the bandh drew response only in some minority-dominated areas. Farmers’ leader Akhil Gogoi thanked the people of Assam for making the bandh a success and hoped that the BJP-led government in Assam takes a lesson from the people’s support to the bandh. The Asom Gana Parishad also took out a rally in Guwahati against the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016. The AGP is a partner of the BJP-led alliance government in Assam. “The Assam Accord is Gita, Bible and Quran for us and I want to ask the BJP leadership to clarify whether they respect the Assam Accord or not? I want to ask the BJP leadership to make clear if they respect the blood of martyrs of the Assam movement who have laid down their lives for the sake of Assam and indigenous people,” said Atul Bora, the President of AGP, at the rally. The call for a 12-hour Assam bandh on Tuesday given by over 60 organisations against the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 drew a total response across the state, except the four districts of Barak Valley. Most of the government offices in state capital Guwahati recorded thin attendance, while commercial establishments across the state remained shut in response to the strike call. Roads wore a deserted look, with only a few buses of the Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) plying. The bandh supporters blocked roads by burning tyres. They also attacked buses and other vehicles plying on the road in defiance of the bandh call. These organisations are protesting against a meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee with the Ministries of Home and External Affairs over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. The bill seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, drawing opposition from several organisations in Assam. The Assam government had on Monday sent out instructions to the state government employees to report to work and threatened that punitive action will be taken against those who absented themselves on Tuesday. Assam BJP President Ranjit Kumar Dass said that the bandh drew response only in some minority-dominated areas. Farmers’ leader Akhil Gogoi thanked the people of Assam for making the bandh a success and hoped that the BJP-led government in Assam takes a lesson from the people’s support to the bandh. The Asom Gana Parishad also took out a rally in Guwahati against the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016. The AGP is a partner of the BJP-led alliance government in Assam. “The Assam Accord is Gita, Bible and Quran for us and I want to ask the BJP leadership to clarify whether they respect the Assam Accord or not? I want to ask the BJP leadership to make clear if they respect the blood of martyrs of the Assam movement who have laid down their lives for the sake of Assam and indigenous people,” said Atul Bora, the President of AGP, at the rally. AGP holds protest rally in Guwahati against Citizenship Bill The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Tuesday staged a massive protest rally here against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, asking the BJP-led government at the Centre to throw the legislation into the dustbin if they respected the historic Assam Accord and the people of the state. AGP President Atul Bora also termed the Assam Accord as the party’s “Gita, Bible and Quran” and said that it must be implemented for the sake of securing the rights of the indigenous people. The rally that started from Latasil playground to the city’s Chandmari area, was against the Bill that seeks to make the minority communities such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible for applying for Indian citizenship. The Bill is under consideration of a joint parliamentary committee of both the Houses. “The Assam Accord is Gita, Bible and Quran for us and I want to ask the BJP leadership whether they respect the Assam Accord or not or the blood of martyrs of the Assam movement who laid down their lives for the state,” said Bora while addressing the rally. The AGP is a partner of the BJP-led alliance government in Assam and the party has three legislators in Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s cabinet. While over 60 organisations in Assam called for a 12-hour Assam bandh on Tuesday to protest against the Bill, the AGP decided to hold the protest rally. “We contested the 2016 elections with the BJP following discussion with our grassroots workers and the people of Assam. However, we are ready to come out of the alliance if the BJP government goes ahead with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016,” said AGP leader and state Water Resources Minister Keshav Mahanta. The bandh drew a near total response across the state although the government had issued instructions to the administration to ensure normalcy.