Assam Congress boycott CAB meeting called by Amit Shah in Delhi

Assam Congress leaders have decided not to attend the meeting called by Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday to discuss the proposed amendment in the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). The Home Minister has called a consultative meeting of the civil society groups and political parties to discuss the proposed citizenship amendment bill.

New Delhi: Assam Congress has decided to boycott a meeting on Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) called by Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Saturday.

The meeting convened by Shah is likely to be attended by all stakeholders including representatives of different political parties from all the northeastern states, student bodies and civil societies among others.

"BJP is already mentally prepared to introduce CAB in the ongoing winter session of the Parliament...This meeting is nothing but only a mere eyewash to show that all the stakeholders have been discussed on the matter," said Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora to ETV Bharat.

Amit Shah will sit for back to back meetings with representatives from Tripura, Mizoram, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland to consult will all stakeholders over their concern regarding CAB. However, representatives from Manipur have not been included in the pre-scheduled meeting list.

Sources said, Home Minister Amit Shah already had a discussion with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on the issue.

It is believed that the BJP Government will pass the CAB in the coming Union Cabinet meeting on Wednesday after which it will be tabled in the Parliament.

Government is believed to have decided to introduce the bill next week in the Parliament.

"The bill is against the interest of the people of Assam and the entire northeast. We will keep our fight against the bill," said Bora.

The bill, which is facing severe criticism and protest, seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 and grant citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afganistan who have illegally migrated into India following religious prosecution.

Interestingly all the Congress MPs from Northeast and parties opposing CAB have staged a protest demonstration against the bill in the Parliament premises.

Showing placards in their hands, the MPs were also shouting slogans asking the Government to reconsider their decision to introduce the CAB in the Parliament.

It may be mentioned here that influential student organisation from Assam, All Assam Students Union (AASU) is spearheading the anti-CAB movement in the state.

AASU leaders had also been campaigning in New Delhi to meet leaders of different political parties to get their support against the bill.