GUWAHATI, July 23 � The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba-Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) today burnt effigies of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in protest against what it said was his �contradictory stand� vis-�-vis the National Register of Citizens (NRC). AJYCP members held the protest demonstrations across the State.
In a statement, the AJYCP said that the Government�s decision to temporarily suspend the NRC updating process following the Barpeta violence and subsequent police firing was unfortunate, and amounted to compromising on the interests of the State�s indigenous populace. �We want to make it clear that such an anti-people stand will never be acceptable to the AJYCP and we will continue to fight this,� it said.
The Asom Yuba Parishad (AGP), the youth wing of the AGP, while expressing grave concern over the developments, said that the Congress Government had a history of using the minorities to suit its vested interests and the Barpeta incident was no exception. �The Congress has made the minorities the sacrificial pawns in its vicious gameplan of clinging to power at any cost,� it said.
Asserting that the Barpeta incident smacked of a political conspiracy, the AYP said that the issue of NRC updating was welcomed by all parties and organizations, and even the minority bodies had made a strong pitch for its early completion for ending the confusions and misunderstandings between the majority and the minorities on the issue of Indian citizenship,� it said.
The AYP further said that the developments suggested that the Congress was working overtime to hide its abject failure in governance as also the unprecedented corruption taking place under its patronage. �As it is finding itself cornered following the expose of the Rs 1,000-crore NC Hills scam, it is trying to divert the people�s attention from the issue,� it added.
The AYP warned the Government not to use the poor minority communities to further its narrow political gains, and urged it not to disrupt the NRC updating process for ensuring a lasting solution to the illegal foreigners� problem.
