GUWAHATI, Jan 9 - Speaker of the State Assembly Hitendranath Goswami today said that as a citizen his conscience �cannot support any act, which is unacceptable to the indigenous people of Assam and detrimental to the unity and fraternity of the people of Assam.� Goswami made this comment in writing in connection with the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
It needs mention here that in reply to a question, Goswami had told media-persons on January 1, 2019 that he would make his views on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 known in course of time. He said that following his election to the post of Speaker of the State Assembly, he has been distancing himself from active politics.
But, the current developments concerning the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 have influenced him also as a person. But despite this, he said he feels it to be his duty to honour the institutions of the country while holding a constitutional post.
Though he has maintained that there is no scope for him as a Speaker to express an opposite view to the process of introducing any legislation, Goswami said the hasty passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill by the Lok Sabha without assuaging the hurt feelings of the people of Assam, has resulted in the present unrest.
Both the Governments in the State and at the Centre should initiate the necessary steps to pacify this situation by honouring the views expressed by those who love Assam, he said.
�I still sincerely hope that the Governments in the State and at the Centre would take bold decisions to initiate urgent and comprehensible legal steps under the provisions of the Assam Accord, to safeguard the interest of the indigenous peoples with a view to remove their long-standing doubts and fears. In this respect, all those who love Assam should also come forward to develop a sound system,� said Goswami.
