Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) spokesperson Dilip Patgiri on December 7th, 2019 faced the wrath of members of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) over the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
Patgiri was in Nalbari when his car was stopped by the anti-Bill protestors. The AASU agitators stuck placards on the front windshield of the vehicle slamming the AGP ministers in Sarbananda Sonowal’s cabinet. The protestors slammed the AGP and party president Atul Bora for “kneeling down” in front of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The AASU volunteers said that Bora lacks a “backbone” to protest against the Bill. On the other hand, AGP MLA Ramendra Narayan Kalita skipped a party meeting fearing anti-Bill protests.
The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to the people belonging to the Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis who have become the victims of religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan and entered India.
Earlier this year, three AGP leaders had resigned as state ministers and snapped ties with the BJP over the Bill. However, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the AGP joined hands with the BJP.
Assam continued to be on the boil after the Bill was passed by the Union Cabinet on December 4th, 2019. Various student bodies came out on the streets once again on December 7th, 2019 to oppose the Centre’s move. The Bill will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on December 9th, 2019.
Photo: Hirak Deka
