Defeat of BJP-AGP will be victory of Assam accord: Congress

Guwahati: Ahead of the crucial third phase of the ongoing general election, Congress general secretary in-charge of Assam and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat said the defeat of the BJP and its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) will mean a victory of the Assam Accord.

In the third phase of polling on April 23, parliamentary constituencies of Guwahati, Kokrajhar and minority-dominated Dhubri and Barpeta seats will go to the polls. “The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is against the spirit of Assam Accord,” said Rawat. “The bill is also going to nullify the very purpose of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC).”

The bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslim illegal immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.


The Assam Accord was signed in 1985, after a six-year-long agitation, by the Centre, state government and leaders of the anti-foreigners movement. As per the accord, foreigners who have entered the state after 1971 are to be detected and deported. Rawat said the Congress takes pride in the fact that it was part of the process of signing of the accord, which was signed when Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister. “However, it is really unfortunate that the AGP, which was at the forefront of the anti-foreigners movement, allied with the BJP,” he said.