Congress will never implement CAA if voted to power in Assam: Rahul

Accusing the BJP andRSS of dividing Assam, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sundaysaid that his party will protect every principle of the AssamAccord and will never implement the Citizenship AmendmentAct if voted to power in the state.Addressing his first public rally in Assam ahead ofthe assembly elections due in March-April, Gandhi said thatthe state needs its own chief minister who will listen tothe voice of the people and not one who listens only to Nagpurand Delhi.The Assam Accord has brought peace and it is theprotector of the state.

Accusing the BJP and RSS of dividing Assam, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that his party will protect every principle of the AssamAccord and will never implement the Citizenship (Amendment)Act if voted to power in the state.

Addressing his first public rally in Assam ahead ofthe assembly elections due in March-April, Gandhi said that the state needs its ''own chief minister'' who will listen to the voice of the people and not one who listens only to Nagpur and Delhi.

''The Assam Accord has brought peace and it is the protector of the state. I and my party workers will protect each principle of the Accord. There will not be a single deviation from it,'' he said.

Gandhi said illegal immigration is an issue in Assam and exuded confidence that the people of the state have the capability to resolve the issue through dialogue.

Alleging that BJP and RSS are trying to divide the state on the issue of Assam Accord, he said, ''If Assam is divided, then Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union HomeMinister Amit Shah will not be affected, but the people of Assam and the rest of India will be affected.'' Talking about the controversial CAA, the senior Congress leader said that if his party comes to power in the state, the law will not be implemented under any circumstance.

All party leaders, including Gandhi, were seen wearing'Gamocha' (Assamese scarf), where symbolically the CAA wordwas crossed, giving a message against the controversial law.

Gandhi said Assam needs a chief minister from their''own people'' who will listen to their issues and try toresolve them.

''Remote control can operate a TV but not a CM. Thecurrent CM listens to Nagpur and Delhi. If Assam gets a CMlike this again, it will not benefit the people. The youthsneed a CM who will give jobs to them,'' he said.

Taking a dig at the prime minister, the Union homeminister and ''businessmen close to them'', Gandhi said, ''I havedevised a new slogan for Assam -- Hum do, humare do; Assam keliye humare aur do, aur sab kuch loot lo.'' He alleged that natural resources and PSUs in thestate are being ''sold off'' to two leading businessmen of thecountry.

Gandhi also accused the Modi government of ''looting''public money during the COVID-19 pandemic and waiving hugeamounts of loans of his ''two businessmen friends''.

He said that the Congress government under theleadership of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi had broughtpeace to Assam by ending the era of violence.

The Assam Accord provides for the detection anddeportation of all illegal immigrants, who have entered thecountry after 1971 and living in the state, irrespective oftheir religion.

Under the CAA, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain,Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan,Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, facingreligious persecution there will not be treated as illegalimmigrants and will be given Indian citizenship.

Anti-CAA protesters in the state say that the lawviolates the provisions of the Assam Accord.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)