JORHAT, Jan 10 - AICC secretary and former Jorhat MLA Rana Goswami today came down heavily on Speaker and present Jorhat MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami for the latter �failing� to take side of the public and not taking any �concrete steps� to express his opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
Addressing mediapersons at the Jorhat Press Club, Goswami while reacting to the statement issued by the Speaker yesterday on the Bill, said HN Goswami was just �saving his skin and shedding crocodile tears� on the issue.
The Speaker had stated his conscience could not support any act, which is unacceptable to the indigenous people of Assam and detrimental to the unity of the Assamese society.
The AICC secretary asked why was Goswami keeping silent despite a strong protest across the State.
�Now, after the Bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha he (Speaker) has issued a statement which too is not clear...Just to save his skin after seeing large-scale protests with not only activists of organisations and parties, but common people, including women, students and all sections of society coming out to the streets,� he alleged.
Further slamming HN Goswami, AICC secretary, said, �If the issue of the Bill has touched his heart as he mentioned in his statement, then he should quit the Speaker�s post and party,� he also added.
He appealed to Goswami to listen to his conscience and join hands with the common people and protest against the Bill that would endanger the identity of the Assamese people.
He lauded the role of all organisations and parties and common man for vehemently staging protests against the Bill, which he said severely opposed by Congress MPs in the Rajya Sabha yesterday following which the BJP-led Government did not introduce the Bill.