ABVP is Opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act: Fact or Fiction?

Guwahati, December 18, 2019:

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) unit in Guwahati drew "oohs" and "aahs" for staging a rally in support of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, that has since turned into an 'Act'. The ABVP students were brutally trolled by the general citizenry for supporting a Bill that was seen as a threat to the very existence of the indigenous Assamese populace.

This open display of embracing the then-C(A)B drew massive outrage from all sections of the public, for the supporters of the contentious Bill had heretofore resigned to the shadows, due to its very sensitive nature.

However, in the ensuing days, a radical shift was witnessed -- members of ABVP members resigning over the Bill, that was sparking mass outrage and unbridled public hysteria, became commonplace. First, there was the news of all members of the New Delhi-based of the ABVP student body resigning over the Bill.

Soon afterwards, the members of the ABVP's Gohpur's created ripples by announcing to resign en masse, on the same day that Gauhati Universirty students had announced the 'Akou Saraighat' rallying war cry to . On that day, it was announced that as many as 500 members of the body would resign in Tezpur.

So, is the AVBP eschewing its saffron ideology to oppose the Bill?

The truth -- for the moment, at least -- seems to be somewhere in between.

Let us explain.

When Moon Talukdar, a senior ABVP leader from Gauhati University -- where students have protested vehemently against the Bill-turned-Act to express resentment -- spoke out against the Bill, he was immediately lauded for his 'bravery'.

Soon after, rumblings of a discord within the ranks of the ABVP surfaced, amid rumors of Talukdar's imminent resignation or expulsion from the student body.

Nothing in the world causes so much misery as uncertainty -- Martin Luther

However, after the hullabaloo in the immediate aftermath of the Bill's passage in the Rajya Sabha -- the burn that followed -- and the return of the situation to 'normalcy', Talukdar is yet to resign from his post.

Yes, the situation is still seemingly dire -- students in Jamia Milia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University are still refusing to accept the Bill; and international bodies are mounting pressure on the Modi Government to roll back the legislation. However, Amit Shah, the Home Minister, and the architect of the "re-drafted" version of the Bill, has ruled out any possibility of a roll back.

So, is the ABVP students' protest a sign of genuine concern for the people or a sham?

Talukdar, while speaking to Inside Northeast, communicates that his opposition to the Bill stems from his own personal distaste for it. "I will take my stand as per my own volition; the organization does not have anything to do with it. However, if the organization has a problem with it, they are free to do as they deem fit. Although I have said that I would resign, I shall not do it right away", he said.

However, at the same time, state joint organisation secretary of the ABVP Ganesh Kunde admits that Talukdar's stand against the Bill might be prompted by "pressure" from other students. "We are officially supporting the Bill. However, individuals belonging to the organization have every right to take their own stand. At the same time, it is also possible that the ABVP members are opposing the C(A)A due to mounting pressure", Kunde told Inside Northeast.

Now, the following question arises from this entire episode: is the alleged flip-flop of the Gauhati University GS, who has not offered up his resignation and has not been excommunicated by the ABVP either, creating doubts in the minds of those who hailed him as a Champion when he joined the sea of masses rising against the Bill in protest?

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