‘Bajra Ninad’ a success, what will BJP’s reply be?

Guwahati, January 23, 2019:

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) along with 30 organizations and musical heart throb held a ‘Bajra Ninad (thunderous scream) to take a stand against the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, which is likely to be raised in upcoming sessions of Parliament after it was cleared at the Lok Sabha on January 8. The protest was held at the historic Latasil playground in Guwahati.

More than 10,000 indigenous people of the state turned up at the venue to raise their collective voices against the Bill.

The leaders of the protest called upon the people of the state to come together to raise a voice against the Bill which they alleged to be harmful to the interests of indigenous people of the state.

ABSU President Pramod Boro questioned why the centre is creating a ‘Mahabharat’-like situation in the state by trying to implement the highly constitutional Bill, while AASU Chief Advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya accused that the government is trying to force a “communal” and “unconstitutional” Bill through and raised slogans decrying the Bill at the venue.

A torch light rally is also being held at Guwahati club by supporters of the the ‘Bajra Ninad’.

Reacting to the rally, Assam’s Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “Let them continue the ‘Bajra Ninad, we will continue our ‘Development Ninad’. Sarma also mocked the sloganeering of the protestors: “If you have such melodious voices, why not learn how to sing? This is what is required to take the state forward in terms of development.

With the voices of these protests reaching fever pitch, it remains to be seen what the BJP-led government’s reply will be to these protests. The inclusion of AGP bigwigs in the ranks of protestors is expected to put more pressure on the BJP as the upcoming interim budget session, in which the BJP is expected to make its move, nears.