BJP-ally AGP moves SC against Citizenship Act

A three-member senior AGP delegation led by former Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Das filed two separate writ petitions in the apex court challenging the Constitutional validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

New Delhi: Challenging the constitutional validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP's) ally in Assam, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Monday filed two separate writ petitions in the Supreme Court.

The regional party is also exploring possibilities of snapping its ties with BJP accusing it of 'betraying' the people of Assam.

A three-member senior AGP delegation led by former Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Das filed the writ petitions in the apex court. The court will hear the petitions along with several others petitions on Wednesday.

"We have filed the writ petitions challenging the constitutional validity of CAA. We have seen in the Act that nothing is mentioned on safeguarding the identity of the indigenous people of Assam," said Das in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat.

He said that in the said petition the party also mentioned about the historic Assam Accord of 1985 which had the provisions of safeguarding the constitutional and political right of the people of Assam.

Read:India protests CAA: Five anti-CAA protesters killed, 28 injured since Dec 11

Interestingly, AGP's lone MP in the Rajya Sabha, Biren Baisya, had voted in favour of the Citizenship Bill.

"We were promised by the government that culture and identity of the people of Assam will be protected, so we had supported the Bill. But nothing was mentioned in the Bill... We will never accept such law which does not have any reference about the protection of indigenous people," said Das.

When asked whether AGP will snap its ties with the BJP in Assam, Das said that the party will explore all possibilities.

"We will now retrospect on all options... and accordingly our party will act," said Das.

Earlier in January, AGP snapped its ties with BJP in Assam opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).

AGP has three cabinet ministers in the Sarbananda Sonowal led Assam Government.

When this contentious bill was passed in the Parliament by voice vote, AGP had faced widespread opposition from the people for voting in support of the Bill.

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