GUWAHATI: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which is spearheading the stir against the Citizenship Amendment Act, said it would hold a massive protest during the ‘Khelo India’ games on January 10 in Guwahati, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.
Following the unrest against the Act, the December 15 summit between Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in the city was postponed.
AASU said it was keeping a close watch on the T20 match between India and Sri Lanka on January 5 in Guwahati and the ‘Khelo India’ games scheduled from January 10-22.
“After CAA was passed by Parliament, for the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi will come to Assam during ‘Khelo India’ and we will hold a massive protest,” said AASU chief adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya.
Meanwhile, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the plan of some leaders of the ongoing agitation to form a political party to contest the 2021 assembly polls, was “day-dreaming”.
“People will not vote for those who want to do politics in the name of agitation, no one will win a single seat. If you want to do politics come to BJP, AGP and Congress,” he said.
While addressing a peace and prosperity rally in Sualkuchi on Sunday, Sarma said, “Even during Assam agitation, we did not see such a situation where tourists could not come to the state. Due to the CAA unrest, the Japanese Prime minister did not come…”
Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) leader Palash Changmai said during another protest programme that the anti-Act protesters will “oppose BJP in 2021 assembly polls. People of Assam in past has uprooted Hitesh Saikia, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Tarun Gogoi”.
AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath said the Supreme Court, which is monitoring the NRC exercise, had barred the NRC Authority from sharing any data. But, if the state government was actually quoting figures from the NRC, then some officials “must be leaking data”.
AASU has announced a series of agitations. On December 31 and January 1, it has asked people to take an anti-CAA pledge. On January 9, the student body has announced that it would hold protests with musical instruments. The student body has asked its district units to hold a torch light rally on January 11.
Source: Economic Times
