The AGP has decided to stick to its alliance with the BJP and won’t snap ties as of now but will continue to oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. This was stated by AGP president and Assam Agriculture Minister Atul Bora after an emergent meeting of the party’s steering committee held at the party’s chamber in the Assam Assembly today (Nov 26). The emergent meeting was called after BJP leader and Assam Finance, Health and PWD Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma fired salvos at the alliance partner asking the party leadership to make its stand on several party leaders attacking and criticizing the BJP on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
The AGP leadership, however, will write to BJP national president Amit Shah seeking a clarification from him on the remarks made by Himanta Biswa Sarma.
#BREAKING | Crucuial emergent meeting of AGP ends. AGP decides to stick to its alliance with BJP but will write to Amit Shah seeking a clarification on the salvo fired by Himanta Biswa Sarma yesterday (Aug 25).
— NEWS LIVE (@NewsLiveGhy) November 26, 2018
“There is no question of compromising with our stand on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. We will continue to oppose the bill as we have been doing so. Our stand is the same as it has been and we will continue to be a part of the government till the day the BJP refrains from tabling the bill in Parliament. Once it does, we will pull out,” Bora said.
Earlier in the morning, AGP leader Kumar Dipak Das claimed his party has already made its stand on continuing the alliance in the wake of the citizenship bill imbroglio clear before the central leadership of the BJP, hinting at continuing with the alliance even after yesterday’s attack by Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The Assam Finance, Health and PWD Minister had on Sunday claimed that the AGP has no moral right to oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill since it is because of the AGP and the Assam Accord they signed accepting 1971 as the cut-off year that an estimated 50 lakh Bangladeshis nationals were recognized as Indian citizens, a number Sarma now believes has swelled to almost a crore.
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Sarma also blamed the then AASU leadership for accepting the same proposal the Indira Gandhi Government made in 1979 regarding the cut-off year six years later, but at the cost of around 900 lives.
