Assam: Political history

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2019

AGP quits govt., BJP still has 61 MLAs in House of 126

Prabin Kalita, January 8, 2019: The Times of India

While BJP argues that India is the natural saviour for minorities, especially Hindus, subject to discriminatory laws and violence in neighbouring countries, in the case of “economic migrants”, mainly Muslims, it points to the “threat” of demographic invasion that changes the religious and social balance and says such persons are illegals who must not enjoy state benefits.

While BJP is under fire in Assam for “violating” the Assam Accord, its leaders like Himanta Biswa Sarma have warned that rejecting the citizenship bill will mean making Assamese Hindus a minority in the next five years. BJP is hoping to drive home the argument that giving Bengali-speaking Hindus’ citizenship will be worth it as it will help counter unwelcome demographic change, hoping its support to the national register of citizens embellishes its credentials.

Like most Assam and northeast-based organisations, AGP has been opposing the proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act tooth and nail. On many occasions in the past, it issued warnings to BJP. AGP’s exit will not pose any threat to BJP, which has 61 MLAs of its own in the 126-member assembly and still has the support of the Bodoland People’s Front (12 seats) and one Independent.

AGP, born out of almost a decade of anti-foreigners agitation in the 1970s and ’80s, quit the ruling alliance immediately after its representatives led by its president, Atul Bora, met Union home minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.

Two AGP ministers, Phani Bhushan Choudhury and Keshab Mahanta, are likely to resign from the ministry along with Bora soon. Many AGP leaders serving as chairpersons and managing directors of state-run PSUs are likely to quit their posts

Assam erupts in protest, BJP office attacked in Meghalaya

Rajib Dutta, Anup Dutta & Kangkan Kalita , January 8, 2019: The Times of India

Assam erupted in protest on Monday against the Centre’s decision to approve the JPC report on the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, with some of the demonstrators even stripping naked. In Dibrugarh, members of All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu) staged a protest in front of CM Sarbananda Sonowal’s house, raising slogans against BJP. Aasu activists also burned copies of the bill in Jorhat, Golaghat, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts. In Guwahati, Aasu activists burned copies of the bill at 70 locations. Keeping political rivalry aside, former CMs Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Tarun Gogoi joined ‘Dhikkar Divas’ (condemnation day) against the Bill in Guwahati.

In neighbouring Meghalaya, BJP’s Shillong office was attacked by unidentified miscreants. The attack is believed to be a fallout of resentment over the Bill. Police sources said three Molotov cocktails were found around the office and two to three miscreants are believed to have been involved. No arrest has been made yet.

Speaker protests against Citizenship Bill, BJP red-faced

Prabin Kalita, January 10, 2019: The Times of India

In an embarrassment to BJP, Assam assembly speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami on Wednesday said the decision to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha was an act “in haste” which was done without “taking the indigenous people of Assam into confidence”. He urged the Centre to ensure protection of the state’s indigenous people on the basis of the 1985 Assam Accord.

Goswami, a former Asom Gana Parishad minister who joined BJP in 2016, said in a statement, “The waves of incidents centred around the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 here in (the) past few days have touched me personally.”

The legislator from Jorhat said: “While holding a constitutional post, along with my personal hopes, it is my duty to show respect to my country’s democratic system.”

Goswami said a Speaker need not opine on the enactment of a law. However, he added, “I think that the central and state governments would give respect to the views and

opinions expressed by the people of Assam and adopt immediate and appropriate measures to resolve the present unrest in the state which has been created after Lok Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in haste without taking the people of Assam into confidence.”

The Speaker further said that his “conscience does not allow (him) to support any action, which the indigenous people of Assam do not want to accept because it could destroy the unity and harmony among the people”.

Goswami’s is the second voice of dissent from within BJP against the amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955. On Tuesday, soon after the Lok Sabha passed the bill, former Assam BJP spokesperson Mehdi Alam Bora resigned from the party. In Meghalaya, BJP’s minister in the Conrad Sangma cabinet, AL Hek, said he too supported the state government’s resolution against the Bill.

Meanwhile, two days after the AGP walked out of its alliance with BJP in the Assam government, another ally, Bodoland People’s Front protested against the Bill.