City
Epaper

Congress didn't support BJP on Citizenship Bill: Assam FM

By IANS | Updated: October 15, 2019 20:10 IST

Launching another attack on the Congress, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that while the party is now showing sympathy towards those left out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), it, however, did not support the BJP-led government in Assam when the latter tried to get the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) 2016 passed in Parliament.

Open in App

Sarma was speaking at a public rally at the Bengali Hindu community-dominated Ratabari assembly constituency in Assam's Barak Valley. The Minister was campaigning for Bijoy Malakar, the BJP candidate for the October 21 bypoll.

"Let the Congress leaders now say that it will support the Citizenship Amendment Bill. The Congress is now crying for those poor people who are left out of NRC. However, when the Citizenship Bill was tabled in Parliament, the party did not support the bill," said Sarma.

The Bengali Hindus in Assam, particularly in the Barak Valley, form a substantial portion of over 1.9 million people left out of the NRC published by the government on August 31.

Although the BJP government, in January this year, had failed to get the CAB passed by Parliament, the Centre is currently pursuing the Bill with some modifications. A new updated CAB is likely to be tabled in the forthcoming session of Parliament.

The Bill is aimed at making minority communities such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christ from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible to apply for Indian citizenship.

"Muslims were killed and frightened during last 15 years of Congress rule in Assam. Fear was created among them for the sake of vote. There were riots in Kokrajhar, Udalguri and Mangaldoi. Congress plays the game of dividing Hindus and inciting divisions among the Bodos and Muslims," Sarma said.

The Minister also said that not a single Muslim was killed in Assam during BJP rule, adding that the saffron party seeks vote on the basis of its development work.

"We seek votes for the providing gas connection, house, Atal Amrit Abhiyian, free CT scan in hospitals and free admission in educational institutions, while Congress seeks votes by creating fear," he said.

Linking the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Sarma said that the former wants to make AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal the Chief Minister of the state.

"We are not going to allow Ajmal to be Assam's Chief Minister till our last breath," he added.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: congressAssamSarmabjpparliament
Open in App

Related Stories

NationalKerala: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's Convoy Stopped, Staff Member Assaulted in Malappuram

MumbaiMumbai: Kishori Pednekar’s Manache Shlok Reciting in BMC Schools Proposal Faces Opposition from Vijay Ubale

NationalAssam Horror: Father Allegedly Kills 6-Year-Old Daughter Inside Train, Arrested

NationalPunjab Congress Leader Khushbaz Jatan and Driver Killed, Cop Injured in Road Accident in Sonipat

NationalChandigarh BJP Office Blast: Two Suspects Arrested for Grenade Blast; Drone Used to Smuggle Chinese Hand Grenade From Pakistan

National Realted Stories

National"Opposition should not back down, make excuses": BJP's Shehzad Poonawalla on Women's Reservation Act

National"TMC orchestrated Malda incident, attacking judiciary": BJP's Samik Bhattacharya

NationalMP: Several feared trapped after four-storey building collapses in Anuppur

NationalKullu: Four killed,18 rescued as vehicle falls into gorge near Sojha

NationalBJP's strong pro-incumbency wave in Assam: Party National VP Baijayant Panda