New Delhi: Four days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to arrive in Assam for a jungle safari at the Kaziranga National Park, the 16-party United Opposition Forum of Assam (UOFA) has written to his office seeking an appointment with him to apprise him of the “volatile situation likely to arise” if the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA is implemented in the north-eastern state.
Public resistance to the Act has returned to the forefront in Assam particularly after Union home minister Amit Shah said at an event in New Delhi on February 10 that CAA would be notified and implemented before the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.
In response, UOFA announced that it would launch a series of protests if the citizenship act is implemented in Assam including ‘gherao’ of the Janata Bhawan in Guwahati, the administrative headquarters of the state, while the All Assam Students Union (AASU) declared agitations if the Modi government enacts it in the state.
Implementation of the CAA in Assam is in violation of the Assam Accord of 1985 as per which anyone, Hindu or Muslim, who had entered the state from Bangladesh after March 1971 would be deemed a non-citizen. The Accord was signed with the Rajiv Gandhi government after six years of anti-foreigner agitation in the state which led to the death of 860 people.
UOFA’s letter to the prime minister – signed by state Congress leader Bhupen Borah who is also the president of the 16-party forum – was shared with media persons in Guwahati on March 4. The letter said, “There is a strong perception among the people of Assam irrespective of caste, creed and political affiliation that the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 will put in danger the culture, history, socio-economic condition, social fabric and identity of Assamese people.”
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Stating that the CAA would go on to nullify the “historic Assam Accord of 1985”, the letter added, “The Accord is regarded as the lifeline of the Assamese people.”
Seeking an appointment with Modi “at the earliest”, preferably during his March 8-9 visit to the state, UOFA’s letter warned that a “volatile situation (is) likely to arise in Assam in the coming days”.
On February 29, UOFA had also submitted a letter on the matter to the state governor marked for President Draupadi Murmu. The letter, in which her intervention was sought to not implement CAA in Assam, said, “We the opposition political parties and the people of Assam have been opposing very clearly and loudly the unconstitutional Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 from the day one of its introduction in the Parliament.
The letter stated:
“Unfortunately, the ruling BJP government taking advantage of its majority in both the houses of Parliament passed the bill ignoring the sentiment of the people of Assam. Now, the honourable union home minister very recently declared that the CAA is going to be implemented in Assam before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.”
Calling it “unconstitutional” and “anti-national”, UOFA urged her to repeal the Act.
The 16 parties of UOFA are Congress, Raijor Dal, Asam Jatiya Parishad, Aam Aadmi Party, Assam Trinamool Congress, CPI (M), CPI, All India Forward Bloc, CPI (M-L), NCP – Sharad Pawar (Assam), Samajwadi Party (Assam), Purbanchalio Lok Parishad, Jatiya Dal, APHLC (Assam), Shiv Sena (Assam) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (Assam).
