BJP ally Asom Gana Parishad makes U-turn, opposes amended Citizenship Act
Guwahati/IBNS: In a big turnaround, a major ally of Bharatiya Janata Party in the northeast, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), made a U-turn on its stand of supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and have decided to oppose the same, media reports said.
The AGP announced its new stand on Saturday after a crucial meeting with the senior party leaders.
The party will now approach the Supreme Court against the law.
Senior leaders of the party have also decided to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue.
The AGP is a key ally of the BJP-led Assam government headed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
The party has three ministers in the state cabinet.
Assam has been witnessing violent protests against the amended Citizenship Act amid an indefinite curfew in Guwahati and Dibrugarh, among other places and the suspension of internet services.
Assam has been opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, that seeks to grant Indian citizenship to illegal Hindu, Parsi, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, who had entered India prior to December 31, 2014, without any documents.
However, people of North Eastern states, especially Assam and Tripura, are demanding its revocation as they fear being ‘overrun’ by non-Muslims from neighbouring Bangladesh.
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