The protests
It was reported that Under the leadership of AASU, the other organizations like Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), SMSS, North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) demonstrated in front of the collectorate at Hailakandi. Protests broke out in Barak valley, which is largely populated by Bengali Hindu population and also in the Brahmaputra valley in lower Assam.
Apart from Guwahati, All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), Garo Students’ Union (GSU), Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), Twipra Student Federation (TSF), All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) held protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in other states of the North Eastern region. Reportedly, they have even submitted a memorandum to the PMO and the Home Ministry against the bill, through the governor of each state.
Akhil Gogoi, who led the protests for KMSS said that if the bill is passed then about 1.90 crore Hindu Bangladeshis will come to Assam leading to a demographic disturbance in the state.
The winter session of Assam Assembly has also begun this week and it was off to a rough start as members of opposition Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) staged a walk out in protest against the citizenship amendment bill. Their stand is that the bill will violate the Assam Accord and the historical document will be rendered meaningless.
The “stakeholders” meeting
The protests clearly indicated that all is not well in the North-east region since the protesting bodies have a united front undivided on communal lines, which is always a threat from the BJP. To salvage the situation, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has invited the Chief Ministers of north-eastern States and leaders of socio-cultural bodies, students’ organisations and political parties for discussions on the plan to amend the Citizenship Act. The discussions are scheduled to take place on November 29 and November 30. Reportedly, the meetings with the Chief Ministers will be held on November 30.
BJP’s concerted communal efforts in Assam
Now that winter session has started in Assam, the state government is set to present empirical data on the number of Hindu Bengalis whose names have been excluded from the final NRC which was released on August 31. The BJP leader in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said that this is being done so that they can ascertain how many people will hence be eligible to apply for citizenship once the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) is passed in the Parliament. In support of CAB he said, “if these people are kept on (sic) being excluded, many Assembly constituencies might go to the hands of other people. So, in the interest of Assamese people, we need CAB.”
Meanwhile the people in Assam, especially the ones who are in the process of proving their citizenship in Foreigners tribunals are naturally harrowed. When Amit Shah said in the Parliament that there will be a nation-wide NRC he specifically mentioned that NRC will take place in Assam again. The common sentiment amongst Assamese people remains, “How many times do we have to prove our citizenship?”