Cong gets 'gamocha' from the family of first person killed in anti-CAA protest

Guwahati, Feb 19 (PTI The family of Sam Stafford, whowas the first person to be killed during the protests againstanti-Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) here, Friday handed thefirst 'gamocha' to the Congress for display at the party's'Martyrs' Memorial'.

The Congress has launched a drive to collect 50 lakh'gamochas', the traditional red and white woven cloth offeredas a mark of respect in Assam, with anti-CAA messages whichwill be displayed at the memorial to be set up in the city ifthe party comes to power in the coming state election.

Sam's mother, Mamoni Stafford handed over the 'gamocha'to senior Congress leader Rakibul Hussain and demanded justicefor her 17-year old son who succumbed to bullet injuriessustained in alleged police firing during the anti-CAA protestthat rocked Assam in December 2019.

My son was neither a terrorist nor a hooligan. Whogave them (the police) the right to kill my innocent son? Idemand justice for him,'' she said.

Five persons were killed in police firing during theviolent protests which had raged across the state against theAct that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslimreligious minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan andAfghanistan.

Educationist and former Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh(RSS) activist Mukul Chandra Saikia demanded a complete rollback of the CAA and handed over a 'gamocha' to Hussain withhis comments and signature on it.

Social activists Rajiv Handique and Bijit Handiquehanded over their signed 'gamochas' with anti-CAA messages toCongress Legislature Party Leader Debabrata Saikia inTinsukia.

Social workers Sushanta Dutta and Binita Hore, bothHindu Bengalis, did the same.

I am a Bengali Hindu and I do not want CAA to beimplemented, Dutta wrote on his 'gamocha'.

Congress spokesperson Bobbeeta Sharma said that theparty is getting ''massive support'' from the people for itsdrive as women, college students, entrepreneurs, seniorcitizens, private sector employees are handing over signed'gamochas' to its leaders and workers.

The state party unit took up the project to keep itsanti-CAA stand at the forefront of its election campaign inthe state.

Meanwhile, six senior Congress leaders have posed sixquestions to the BJP on the CAA and asked the saffron party toclarify its stand on them.

Assam Pradesh Congress President Ripun Bora asked theBJP to tell if CAA benefits Assam or not.

The Congress Campaign Committee Chairman, PradyutBordoloi asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to clarifywhether CAA will be implemented across the country or only inBengal as the saffron party is aggressively campaigning forthe Act in the run up to that state's assembly elections,which is due in April-May.

Gaurav Gogoi, the chairman of Congress ManifestoCommittee asked the bjp whether it thinks that CAA is infavour of the Assamese people''.

Why is the BJP pretending that CAA will not beimplemented in Assam when its rules were framed in July?asked Congress Legislature Party Leader Debabrata Saikia.

Rakibul Hussain asked Does the Assam BJP think thatits stand on CAA is in conformity with its pitch for Jati(Community) Mati (Land) and Bheti (Base).

'Jati, Mati, Bheti' was the BJP's slogan in Assam forthe 2019 polls.

Congress Lok Sabha MP Abdul Khaleque asked, Does BJPthink that CAA will not violate provisions of the AssamAccord?''.

The Congress took up the memorial project two daysafter party leader Rahul Gandhi's February 14 rally atSivsagar where he had kickstarted the party's poll campaign.

He had said the Congress was for the Assam Accord and hadgiven the no-CAA call.

Elections to the 126-member Assam assembly is likelyto be held in March-April this year.

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