GUWAHATI, Feb 29: A day after opposition parties of Assam threatened a state-wide bandh if the Citizenship (Amendment) Act is implemented, DGP Gyanendra Pratap Singh on Thursday warned that financial losses, estimated to be Rs 1,643 crore a day due to the agitation, can be recovered from the organisers.
The United Opposition Forum Assam (UOFA), formed in the state in line with Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), on Wednesday announced that a state-wide bandh will be called the very next day of the contentious Act coming into force, followed by ‘gherao’ of the Janata Bhawan (the secretariat) on next day.
In a post on X, Singh shared two pages of a Gauhati High Court order on bandhs, pronounced in 2019, and re-posted his own statement on the issue from June 2022.
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“Needless to say that with the GSDP of Assam pegged at Rs 5,65,401 crore, loss from a day’s bandh would be approximately Rs 1,643 crore recoverable from those who call for such a bandh in accordance with para 35(9) of the aforementioned order of the Hon’ble Gauhati High Court order,” he added.
Reacting to the DGP’s post, Raijor Dal chief and MLA Akhil Gogoi said there will be no problem at all if the CAA is not implemented.
“You (Centre) will bring a draconian law and if we protest, then we will be punished for making the losses. Who is to be blamed for this loss? Is it BJP or us? They are planning to give citizenship to 15-20 lakh Bangladeshis and we cannot even protest!
“Who is this DGP? Why does he not tell the Centre to withdraw this law if he is so concerned about the financial losses to the state?” asked Gogoi, who had spent 567 days in jail for his alleged role in violent anti-CAA agitation of 2019 before a Special NIA Court cleared him of all charges.
Gogoi, who is the Chief Spokesperson of the UOFA, claimed that Assamese identity and culture will die if the CAA is implemented in the state.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis entering India on or before December 31, 2014 from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after five years of residence here.
Meanwhile, activists of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti (SMSS) staged protests at several places, including Guwahati and Upper Assam districts such as Tinsukia, and demanded repeal of the Act.
“The government is not allowing us to protest peacefully. It is our democratic right to lodge our opposition, but they are using police force to stop us,” an agitator said while being dragged by police into a vehicle.
A police official said the agitators tried to obstruct traffic in Tinsukia town, following which they were detained and taken to the nearby police station.
The KMSS and SMSS are sister organisations of the Raijor Dal.
Meanwhile, the UOFA on Thursday sought the intervention of President Droupadi Murmu for repealing the CAA, asserting that they would undertake a “democratic mass movement” across the state if their demand is not met.
They submitted a memorandum to Murmu through Governor Gulab Chand Kataria.
”This act is not only unconstitutional, but it is also going to nullify the historic Assam Accord of 1985 by putting in danger the history, culture, social fabric, economy and the very identity of the Assamese people,” they said.
The UOFA urged her to intervene in the matter and direct the Centre to desist from its decision to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 in Assam, and repeal the “unconstitutional and anti-national” act.
“We further inform you, if the Government of India pays no heed to it, we the opposition political parties and the people of Assam will have no alternative except to go for democratic mass movement to compel the government to repeal it,” the memorandum said.
Union home minister Amit Shah has recently declared that the CAA is going to be implemented in Assam before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, they said.
After submitting the memorandum, Assam Congress president Bhupem Kumar Borah said: “We will not accept the CAA at any cost, and we told it very categorically to the governor. He said that he has some limitations and will duly forward the memorandum to the President.”
The UOFA also decided to seek an appointment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to register its opposition to the CAA implementation plan, and said they will write to him in this regard on Thursday.
Assam TMC chief Ripun Bora said the opposition parties will hit the streets if the government goes ahead with its plan to implement the CAA.
Lurinjyoti Gogoi, the president of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), claimed that the controversial law is being rolled out for “religious polarisation” ahead of the general elections. (PTI)
