The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) party and BJP ally has decided to protest against the Citizenship Bill and visas for Bangladeshis in Assam in its extended central executive meetingheld in Guwahation Friday.
At the meeting presided over by its President Atul Bora, it was decided to create pressurein the Indian Parliament against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016through other regional and national parties in the forthcoming winter session.
It also proposes to stage programs in Delhi against the bill during the Parliament’s winter session.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill aims to provide citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who left Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to escape religious persecution. It was introduced by the Narendra Modi-led BJP Government in the Indian Parliament in July, 2016.
Sources added that the party has also expressed its rejection against the Central Government’s move to issue long-term visas to Bangladeshis in Assam.
AGP said people from Bangladesh will take advantage of those long-term visas and the situation in Assam will be further aggravated.
Sources further told that as for the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the party has reiterated its stand in favour of a NRC list, free of Bangladeshis.
AGP Working President Keshab Mahanta and former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta were among those who attended the meeting.
