The activists of Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad Assam (TAYPA) on Sunday staged a sit in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 at Chowkidinghee in upper Assam’s Dibrugarh.
The protesters holding play cards and banners raised slogans against the BJP government.
“We would like to warn the BJP government once again that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) will never be acceptable to the people of Assam. Assam is not the dumping ground of illegal Bangladeshis.
“We have made it clear that we will not accept any foreigners, who have entered the state after 1971, be it Hindu or Muslim,” Deepjyoti Dowerah, secretary of TAYPA, said.
He said the CAA is against the spirit of the Assam agreement of 1985.
“It is against the self respect of the Assamese people and we will fight till our last breath to defeat it. The betrayal by the Centre and the Sarbananda Sonowal government will not be forgotten. People will give them a befitting reply in time,”
“The Centre has forcefully imposed the CAA on Assam without the consent of its people and our movement will continue till the law is scrapped,” Dowerah said.
He said the indigenous people of Assam will not live as second class citizens.
“Assam has already accepted immigrants from Bangladesh till 1971 and it cannot take the burden of even one more person. All illegal immigrants who have entered the state after the 1971 cut-off date should be identified and deported.
“There is no question of welcoming even a single illegal immigrant whether he is a Hindu, Muslim, Christian or from any other religion. The CAA will convert the Assamese indigenous people into a minority in their own state. We are going to fight it till the end,” Dowerah said.
On the other hand, All Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA) staged a protest at Sessa tea garden against the CAA.
Hundreds of protesters from the tea belt participated in the protest holding banners and play cards against the CAA.
“We don’t allow the act to be implemented because it was anti-Assamese act. We will continue our protest against the act till the act is scrapped.
“BJP government have betrayed the people by supporting the CAA. We don’t allow any Bangladeshi in our land. CAA is anti-constitutional and it is against the secular fabric of the Constitution,” Sunil Pator, Dibrugarh district president of ATTSA said.
He said they will continue their stir against CAA.
Large numbers of women from the tea belt participated in the rally and raised slogans against the BJP government.
Several organisations also staged protest at Chabua in protest against CAA.