Chorus against citizenship Bill gets shriller in Assam

Bijay Sankar Bora

Tribune News Service

Guwahati, October 25

The proscribed United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) today lent support to the brewing protests by several indigenous people’s groups against the BJP-led NDA government’s bid to amend the Foreigners Act in order to grant citizenship to Hindu Bengali migrants who fled to India to escape persecution in their homeland Bangladesh.

The ULFA (I) warned of dire consequence to “certain reactionary forces” who are allegedly conspiring to derail the protests that is gradually gaining momentum against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The ULFA (I) said similar forces in the past had caused harm to indigenous communities when they raised voices demanding protection of their rights. The Assam state committee of the CPM lambasted the BJP for accusing the Left of instigating protests against the Bill.  The Left party demanded that Assam, where the identity of indigenous communities, was at stake due to unabated illegal migration from Bangladesh, should be kept out of the purview of the Bill.

The Left Democratic Mancha, Assam—a joint platform of 11 political parties, inlcuding the CPM, AAP, NCP and  Janata Dal (S)—will organise a sit-in in protest against the Bill on Wednesday.