Sandeep Pandey, Medha Patkar insulted anti-CAA stir in Assam: AASU

The All Assam Students' Union said that the two social activists Sandeep Pandey and Medha Patkar have made "false, light, irresponsible and provocative" statements after the two activists alleged that the anti-CAA agitation by AASU is being carried out in "understanding" with the state government.

Guwahati (Assam): A day after social activists Sandeep Pandey and Medha Patkar alleged that the anti-CAA agitation by AASU is being carried out in "understanding" with the state government, the student body on Thursday said the duo insulted the movement and "five martyrs" of the stir by making "disrespectful" comments.

The All Assam Students' Union (AASU), in a release, said that the two social activists have made "false, light, irresponsible and provocative" statements.

"People from outside Assam do not understand the state properly...their comments have proved that," AASU president Dipanka Kumar Nath and general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi were quoted as saying.

By stating that the movement against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act is being carried out as per the government, Pandey and Patkar have "insulted" non-violent peoples' movement and the "five martyrs" of the agitation, the release said.

AASU chief advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya said that the Assamese people are the guardians of the organisation, not the two activists.

"We do not need any certificate of our affection for Assam from persons like Pandey and Patkar, who made such a weighless statement," he said.

Magsaysay Award winner Pandey along with leading rights activist Patkar had on Wednesday alleged that there was a deep conspiracy by the BJP-led state government behind the arrest of peasant leader Akhil Gogoi, who was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

"When I came last time in December 2018, the anti-CAB movement was led by Akhil Gogoi's Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and 70 other groups. AASU was nowhere in the picture.

After the arrest of Akhil, suddenly AASU came into the picture and now they are leading it. We see a conspiracy here," Pandey had said.

The AASU is not protesting as strongly as KMSS was doing it and the government does not want a strong voice against it, Pandey has said.

"The government allows only those agitations which do not threaten their throne. After AASU came into the picture, they said there would be protest only in fields instead of roads and there would be no protest after 5 pm. Is it a government programme or peoples' movement?" he had said.

Pandey had also pointed out that during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, only KMSS was campaigning against the BJP while AASU was completely silent.

"The government wants only those groups which will work as per their understanding. Why does KMSS not get permission to protest, but AASU gets it easily?" Patkar had said.

PTI report