Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Assam, the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and 30 other ethnic groups took to the streets of Assam to demonstrate their opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Earlier in the day, the AASU members organized a bike rally in Guwahati to express their opposition to the CAA. The demonstrators chanted slogans against the CAA and called for its abolition by the government.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, which was implemented by the government led by Narendra Modi, has the objective of granting Indian citizenship to migrants who are non-Muslim and have faced persecution. This includes individuals from religious backgrounds such as Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians, who have migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India prior to December 31, 2014.
After the CAA was passed by Parliament in December 2019 and approved by the president, there were widespread protests in different regions of the country.
Samujjal Bhattacharjya, the Chief Advisor of AASU, has announced that the All Assam Students' Union and 30 other ethnic organizations are planning to initiate a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the alleged plot by the Indian Government to enforce regulations associated with the act.
"Today, the bike rally was held throughout the state in all district headquarters. There will be a series of movements against the CAA in the state. We would like to warn the central government that, the people of Assam and North East won't accept the CAA because Assam and North East are not the dumping ground of illegal Bangladeshis," Samujjal Bhattacharjya said.
"After the historic Assam Movement Assam Accord was signed, the foreigners' problem must be solved by implementing all clauses of the Assam Accord. It will be a peaceful, non-violent movement and along with this the legal fight is on," he said.
Prime Minister Modi has plans to begin a two-day trip to the state starting from March 8. Throughout the visit, he will inaugurate numerous development initiatives valued at approximately Rs 18,000 crore in the state.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO heritage site, and go on a safari there, as announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during a press conference.
According to Chief Minister Sarma, Modi is scheduled to reach Assam on Friday afternoon and stay overnight at Kaziranga National Park. After his visit to Assam, the Prime Minister will then proceed to West Bengal.