Prabajan Virodhi Manch, a forum against infiltration, has on Thursday, February 14 demanded the resignation of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and state Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for not opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016.
“The fact that the two have failed in their so-called noble endeavour to protect the indigenous by bringing in more Bangladeshis is itself reason enough for them to resign their present posts in the government, accepting responsibility,” forum convenor Upamanyu Hazarika, said in a press release.
Also read: Assam: Protesters Block Rail Tracks Demanding Revocation of Citizenship Bill
Hazarika also underlined that the two Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were busy trying to “please the central leadership”. “Another reason which calls for their resignation is their utter failure in their competitive flattery and sycophancy to please the central leadership when the principled stand of the Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur chief ministers has found favour with the central government,” he said.
Even on previous occasions, Hazarika reportedly came down heavily on the Modi-led BJP government at Centre and Assam state government for not protecting the interests of the indigenous people of the northeast. “The government should secure the rights of the indigenous people of Assam before the Lok Sabha (LS) polls,” he had said.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 was not tabled in Parliament today.