AASU announces protest programme during PM's Feb 22 visit

All Assam Students Union (AASU) on Saturday announced that it will hold agitations duringPrime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state on February22 to protest against his government's alleged failure toimplement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.

Member of the students' organisation will wave blackflags and wear black badges at all district and sub-divisionalheadquarters, AASU President Dipanka Kumar Nath and GeneralSecretary Shankarjyoti Barua said in a release on Saturday.

The BJP-led government at the Centre has failed thepeople of Assam by not implementing Clause 6 of the AssamAccord, failing to declare floods and erosion as nationalproblems and not stopping construction of all big dams in theregion, including the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project.

Nath and Barua that during floods, the prime ministerdid not bother to visit Assam and had merely reviewed thesituation over phone.

''But now that state election is round the corner, hehas come thrice within a month to seek votes,'' they said.

The AASU leaders said that before the 2016Lok Sabha election, the prime minister had said that allillegal immigrants will have to pack their bags and leave.''Butthe Centre is now conspiring to impose the burden ofadditional foreigners on Assam by enacting the CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA).

The prime minister during his two earlier visits did notmake a single mention of the implementation of Clause 6 of theAssam Accord, they added.

The Centre had promised that it will implement therecommendations of the High Level Committee to the last commaand full stop. It is now nearly a year that the report wassubmitted to the state government but it is yet to be sent tothe Centre for its implementation, they said.

''We demand that the prime minister announces onFebruary 22 when the recommendations of the Committee will beimplemented as constitutional safeguards are a legitimaterights of the people of the state'', the leaders said.

AASU had organised protests against Modi's visit onJanuary 23 demanding repeal of the Citizenship Amendment Acthat seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslimreligious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan andAfghanistan and implementation of Clause 6 of the AssamAccord.

As per the clause constitutional, legislative andadministrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall beprovided to protect, preserve and promote the culture, social,linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.