Assam assembly: Oppositions disrupt governor’s speech over Citizenship bill row

The oppositions had jointly opposed the bill and held up placards and shouted slogans against the bill inside the assembly and disrupted the speech of Assam governor Jagdish Mukhi.

Following amid demonstrations, the house was adjourned for 45 minutes.

Soon after the governor ended his tribute to Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika, the opposition MLAs raised the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill issue and held up placards, demanding to scrap the bill in front of the governor and assembly speaker.

Former Assam Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi said they completely ignored the present situation in Assam as the state is burning over the Citizenship bill row.

“Assam is burning, not only in Assam, the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill are continued in the entire north east. But in the governor address, they have been talking about peace, tranquillity, social harmony, which is just the opposite. Today, there is full of disturbances, everywhere in agitations. There is a social disharmony, creating divisive between the Hindus and Muslims. But they didn’t mention these issues,” Tarun Gogoi said.

On the other hand, Atul Bora, president of AGP, the party which recently snapped ties with the BJP over the controversial bill, said while protests are going on everywhere against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, not a single word was mentioned in the governor speech and the opposition parties have raised the issue.

“The people of Assam are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016. All Assam Students Union (AASU), several organisations and political parties including our party are also opposing this bill. We have asked the governor and the state government to take a resolution against the bill,” Atul Bora said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)