BJP Remains Committed to Citizenship (Amendment) Bill: It Will Be Part Of BJP’s Poll Manifesto, Says Amit Shah

LASHING Out the political parties for   twisting and Opposing  The Citizenship (Amendment ) Bill , 2016, in outside Parliament  BJP’s National  President  Amit Shah  Shah said the Bill will feature in the saffron party’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls. “We will get it passed in Rajya Sabha as well when we come to power in 2019. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is our commitment to the people of the country,” he said, adding, the Bill is the only way to safeguard the interest of the people of Assam. Participating part in the bhoomi poojan of the party’s new office in North Lakhimpur, he said “I want to tell the people of Assam and the Northeast that without the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, development cannot be achieved.” This Bill is the only means through which “we can keep the demography of Assam intact and also safeguard our identity.” The BJP president alleged that the political parties without internal democracy do not deserve to rule the country. Referring to “the Nehru-Gandhi family, he alleged that it is stubbornly opposed to internal democracy in the family run organisation but is never tired of speaking of democracy. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and senior leaders of the party were also present on the occasion. The results of three autonomous council polls held in Assam recently were a verdict for the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, Shah said. The Bill will be brought again by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make it a law. Addressing a huge rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Manch, the youth wing of the BJP, at Chandmari near Lilabari airport on the outskirts of North Lakhimpur, Shah said the people in Assam has given a befitting reply to those who opposed the citizenship Bill. The Bill would be brought again to end infiltration. “Every single infiltrator will be pushed out from Assam if the BJP returns to power this time.”The BJP president came down heavily against the Congress and AGP for opposing the citizenship Bill and doing nothing to implement the Assam Accord. He also claimed that the NRC work was the result of his party’s initiative. Giving a report card of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, Shah said it had given Rs 155,000 crore to Assam under the 14th Finance Commission as compared to Rs 89,000 crore given by the earlier UPA government. He also appealed to the youth to vote for the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha polls for development and to strengthen the 133 schemes undertaken by PM Modi.The youth rally that began with tributes to the martyred CRPF personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district was earlier addressed by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. He stated that Assam would emerge as the best state in the country in the coming days for which the youth should take a special role. The Chief Minister urged the youth of the State to capture the market of Southeast Asia by virtue of skill development initiatives provided by the present government in each rural development block. Sonowal said the conferring of Bharat Ratna to Dr Bhupen Hazarika and Padma Shri to Uddhab Bharali and Dr Ilias Ali was the recognition for their works and acts. He also appealed to the youth to labour hard to make the fertile soil of this land worthy. The youth rally was also addressed by State Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who asked the youth to work for development, thus preventing Assam from becoming a Kashmir. He slammed the AASU and other like-minded organisations for supporting the neo-Assamese and appealed to the youth not to yield to them. The rally was attended by BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, BJP Assam in-charge Mahendra Singh, State BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass, State ministers Tapan Gogoi, Naba Kumar Doley, Pallab Lochan Das and Pijush Hazarika, besides MPs from Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Mangaldai and Jorhat, and MLAs from Dhemaji and Bihpuria.State BJYM president Anupam Barman also addressed the rally. Himanta  Biswa Sarma said the  CAB will  prevent  Assam from being the second Kashmir.The former  Congress  leader  is  passionately  pleading  for the passage of the  bill by  Parliament in the  interest  of the North-east.