GUWAHATI, Dec 15 - In a face-saving move, the under-fire Asom Gana Parishad on Sunday said it has decided to wage a legal battle to prevent the Central government from enforcing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the Brahmaputra valley. The regional party, however, said there has been no decision yet on pulling out of the NDA.
Addressing a press conference at his official residence at Dispur, AGP president Atul Bora insisted that the party�s stand on the new citizenship law has been �clear all throughout� and some sections were trying to give a wrong impression to the people about the party�s views on the issue.
�We had conveyed our views to the Union Home Minister. We opposed the Bill as it was a threat to the culture, language and identity of the Assamese people,� Bora claimed, adding that the party would send a delegation again to meet Home Minister Amit Shah and reiterate its demand. Flanked by senior leaders Phani Bhusan Choudhury, Keshab Mahanta and Pradeep Hazarika, Bora said the party has formed a committee comprising its senior members, including Kumar Deepak Das and Ramendra Narayan Kalita, to explore legal options.
�We are against enforcement of the Act in the Brahmaputra valley and we are exploring legal options for it. The committee has already left for New Delhi for the purpose,� he said.
Asked as to why Birendra Prasad Baishya voted in favour of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, the party�s working president Keshab Mahanta said the AGP was still with the NDA.
�The AGP being an ally of the NDA has to go by any decision the alliance takes. That is why Baishya had to vote in favour of the Bill. But we have not gone back on our stand,� Mahanta sought to clarify.
Bora also said the district committees have been instructed to submit memorandums to the Central government on Monday through their respective Deputy Commissioners opposing implementing of the Act in the Brahmaputra valley.
�A party delegation will soon meet the Home Minister and reiterate our demand. We will urge him to take all organisations into confidence before going ahead with the new law,� he said, adding that the party also demands 90 per cent reservation of Assembly seats for locals, 100 per cent reservation of MP seats and ILP system.
