Baruah warns Mahasabha on Citizenship Bill

Guwahati: The ongoing protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 got a new twist on Saturday when outlawed Ulfa (I) chief Paresh Baruah joined the issue and warned Assam Sattra Mahasabha — the apex body of Vaishnavite monasteries, to refrain from indulging into anti-Assamese activities.

The Assam Sattra Mahasabha is in the eyes of storm for endorsing the bill before the Joint Parliamentary Panel in New Delhi on April 12.

The Ulfa (I) chief Paresh Baruah who called up local news channels said that the Mahasabha is out to destroy the Assamese culture. “They should know the history of Assam. By endorsing the bill the Mahasabha has done a crime for which they must be penalised,” said the Ulfa (I) chief while daring the Mahasabha to mount pressure on the government to get evicted the land of Satra (monasteries) being occupied by migrants. He also opposed the move of the BJP government to amend the citizenship act.

The Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955 to make “persecuted” Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship.

Organisations such as the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) have said they will not allow the BJP to implement its plan to “dump Hindu Bangladeshis” in the State by tweaking the Citizenship Act.

They have also asked the Mahasabha heads to quit.