GUWAHATI, Feb 19 - The arrest of Akhil Gogoi and other members of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) is a political conspiracy of the BJP-led government to stop the strong mass movement against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Assam. Unfortunately, the government has achieved success in this conspiracy to weaken the mass movement.
This was observed by social activist Medha Patkar and Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey while addressing a press conference at the KMSS office here on Wednesday. The duo addressed the media after meeting Akhil Gogoi and other members of the KMSS at the Guwahati jail this morning.
Demanding immediate release of Gogoi and other members of the KMSS, they also urged all groups and organisations of Assam, including the AASU, to follow the path of KMSS in order to strengthen the mass movement against the CAA in the State.
�The recent developments strongly point towards a ploy by the government to stop the mass movement against the CAA, but what the government is doing is totally unconstitutional. From the very beginning, the KMSS has been continuing their movement in a non-violent way and the allegation of Gogoi�s relation with Maoists is totally baseless. The arrest has been made because of his uncompromising attitude towards the main issue,� Patkar said.
Alleging that all the actions taken against Gogoi and others are politically motivated, Patkar said that such a situation has surfaced across the country amid the anti-CAA protest. �I am aware about the foreigners issue of Assam. It is really a threat to this land. So the context of the mass movement against the Act is also different in Assam compared to those in other parts of the country. But our common aim is to prevent all kinds of divisive politics in the country,� she said.
Patkar asserted that in Assam the issue of infiltration and illegal foreigners needs to be solved through implementation of the Assam Accord. She also pointed out that the CAA has affected both Hindus and Muslims of the country.
Criticising the BJP-led government, Sandeep Pandey said, �Akhil Gogoi is not a Maoist. Rather he is an activist who always keeps faith in the Indian Constitution. He is the strongest leader of Assam. His arrest has adversely affected the anti-CAA movement.�
He asserted that without the KMSS and Akhil Gogoi, it is impossible to build an alternative political force in the State. �The movement against the CAA is totally a mass movement. In every part of the country, the common people willingly hit the streets to register their protest against the Act. I am confident that we will achieve success in the movement,� he added.