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Regular-article-logo Friday, 26 April 2024

AGP lines up protests against citizenship bill

The party will organise a torch-lit procession, a hunger strike and state-wide protest rallies

A Staff Reporter Guwahati Published 16.01.19, 06:32 PM
AGP president Atul Bora

AGP president Atul Bora Telegraph picture

The AGP, after breaking its alliance with the BJP, has announced a series of agitation programmes against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019.

The AGP has been opposing the bill since it was first tabled in the Lok Sabha in 2016.

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Three ministers of the party resigned after it broke away with the BJP.

The party will organise a torch-lit procession, a hunger strike and state-wide protest rallies to protest against the bill.

“We will organise a torch-lit procession on Friday in every constituency, our MLAs will organise a 10-hour hunger strike on January 24 in Guwahati and our members and supporters will organise rallies in every district capital and subdivision on January 30 as a protest against the bill,” said a source in the party.

The source said the decision to launch the agitation was taken in a meeting held on Sunday, chaired by party president Atul Bora.

The bill, which seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who had entered the country from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan because of religious persecution, was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8.

The Centre could not place the bill in the Rajya Sabha on January 9 because of protests from the Congress and other Opposition parties.

It is likely to be tabled in the budget session of Parliament to be held from January 31.

AGP executive president Keshab Mahanta, one of the three ministers who had resigned, on Monday attended the 24-hour hunger strike launched by Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) adviser Akhil Gogoi on Sunday afternoon here demanding to scrap the bill.

In a speech, Mahanta criticised the BJP over the bill and said the people of Assam should stand against the bill as one.

He said the AGP will try to create an atmosphere so that the bill is not passed in the budget session.

He said the AGP was ready to join hands with the KMSS and the 69 organisations, which have been spearheading a movement against the bill.

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