CAA protest: 15 BJP MLAs tell CM Sarbananda Sonowal to reach out to agitators

GUWAHATI: Amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 15 BJP legislators in Assam met chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday and asked him to open a channel of communication with the protesters.

The state BJP has decided to take out peace processions at five different locations, starting with in Nalbari on Friday.

Some BJP legislators have urged the state government to declare that Assamese will continue to be a state language.


Padma Hazarika, a BJP legislator from Sootea, said, “We have sought chief minister’s intervention.

I will abide by what Supreme Court says on CAA. If I resign, will CAA be revoked? If people of my constituency ask me to resign, I will.”

He said, “We have asked the chief minister for speedy implementation of Clause 6 of Assam Accord, which stipulates constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.”

BJP MLA Prasanta Phukan said, “We have asked the CM to take up with Centre granting of scheduled tribe status to six communities--Moran, Motok, Chutia, Koch Rajbongshi, Tea tribe and Ahoms.”

Meanwhile, vice chancellors of several universities in the state appealed to students to help in maintaining peace. “It is everybody’s duty to ensure that the educational system in the state remains healthy," they said.

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), however, said the VCs did not tell the government that the present crisis is due to CAA.

In Guwahati, artistes held a public meeting, while in Dhemaji, people beating drums joined a protest gathering.

Several artists decried the state government’s announcement of artists’ pension of Rs 50,000 each as a one-time grant to 2,000 artistes and technicians of the state to wean them away from the anti-CAA protests.