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Diphu, May 24 (EMN): As part of the district wide mass protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 a memorandum was submitted to chairman, Citizenship Amendment Bill of 2016, Rajendra Agarwal in Diphu on May 24 Thursday.
The memorandum was submitted by the Karbi Anglong District Congress Committee (KADCC) and Lumbajong Block Congress Committee (BCC) who jointly took out a protest rally from KADCC office to DC office.
The memorandum was submitted
The committees stood strongly against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 for amendment of citizenship act, 1955 placed in the Parliament by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The memorandum said there is wide spread protest and resentment for the last two years after the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh placed in Parliament the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 on July 15, 2016 for amendment of citizenship act 1055, which have affected over 3 crore population in Assam. Except the BJP, all political parties including Congress and various students, youth and civil organisations oppose to it.
The memorandum said, 'from 1979 to 1985 there was long Assam agitation which was lead by All Assam Students Union (AASU) and All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP) with an aim to drive out Bangladeshi intruders from Assam where thousands of people including large number of Congressmen were maimed and martyred.'
The outcome of the movement was the signing of Assam Accord in 1985, signed between Assam Students Union, All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad, government of India and government of Assam in the presence of Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi. The Assam Accord of 1985 mentioned on March 24 (midnight) 1971 as cutoff date for detection and deportation of foreigners in Assam. The accord also ensured that there will be no influx from Banladesh after March 25 1971, but anyone entering Assam after March 25 1971 irrespective of caste, creed and religion will be treated as foreigners and will be detected and deported from Assam, the memorandum added. In pursuance of Assam Accord the preparation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) has been launched in Assam basing March 25 1971 as cutoff date, it said.
“The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 will defeat the very purpose of NRC and will completely turn around to historic Assam Accord of 1985. After the accord people of Assam irrespective of caste, creed, community and religion have been living peacefully. But with the proposed citizenship amendment bill 2016, distrust and division have created among different section of people in the state."
The proposed bill is going to destroy the basic principle of State Re-Organisation Act, 1956, which was enacted on the recommendation of State Re-organistaion Commission of 1953.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, general secretary and incharge KADCC, Ramesh Jain said, “we are not against any Bengali or to particular religion. What we are doing is to safe the language, culture and tradition of greater Assam by opposing the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016."
The Congress members urged upon the Chairman, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 to keep the spirit of the historic Assam Accord of 1985 for the interest of Assam as well as the country.