Sarbananda Sonowal's Weak Leadership to Bring Citizenship Bill Tragedy in Assam, Warns AASU Leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi

Guwahati, October 6, 2019:

All Assam Students' Union General Secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi on Sunday lashed out against the Assam Government and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal for silence over the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

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Gogoi said that the state has been "betrayed" by the inaction of the Sarbananda Sonowal-led BHJP Government in the State. "Whereas other Northeastern Governments are fighting the Bill tooth-and-nail, Assam has been isolated. The Assam Government is directly responsible for this, and the Chief Minister and the Government are in support of the Bill."

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Responding to Amit Shah's recent assertion that the states with Inner Line Permit -- Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh -- shall be provided safeguards against the impact of the Bill, Gogoi said, "Other Governments,m despite being in alliances, have been very clear in their opposition to the Bill. The Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma too spoke out against the Bill at the recent NEDA Convention, whereas the Assam Government sits hand-in-arms."

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Gogoi also accused the Union Government of dividing the Northeast. "The united northeast has been divided by this Bill Now, they are trying to appease the Governments separately. This was was hinted at the NEDA Convention."

Stating that the Assam Government should have sought refuge under the Assam Accord, Gogoi said that the Assam CM Sonowal should have also asked for Constitutional safeguards, in regards to culture and demography, in vein with the other Northeast Chief Ministers, but failed miserably to do so. "This shows that the Assam Government is weak and does not have its own stand or ideology", Gogoi chastised.

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AASU as well as other student organizations stand opposed to the Bill, and we will continue with the democratic protests against this very dangerous Bill that is opposed to the very spirit of Assam, Gogoi added.

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