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Prevent ratification of pact in Parliament: AASU

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Sept 8 � Terming the ceding of Assam�s land to Bangladesh as betrayal of the people by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, the All Assam Students� Union (AASU) today called upon all the opposition parties to prevent ratification of the Indo-Bangladesh treaty in Parliament.

�The deal was signed with Bangladesh in the most clandestine manner keeping the people of Assam in the dark. Now the people have made clear their opposition to the treaty, and we urge all the opposition parties to desist from ratifying it in Parliament,� AASU adviser Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya said at a press conference.

Bhattacharya said that while the need of the hour was to have a treaty with Bangladesh that could facilitate deportation of illegal migrants back to the country, the Chief Minister exhibited a shocking indifference to the interests of the State and its people by toeing the lines of New Delhi.

�The people of Assam will never agree to this irrational treaty of ceding the State�s land to Bangladesh. It is disgusting that the Chief Minister never uttered a word about making Bangladesh accept the migrants determined as illegal through the judicial process,� Dr Bhattacharya said.

Dr Bhattacharya also questioned whether the Centre would adopt a similar stand if it came to resolving disputed territories with Pakistan along the Indo-Pak border in Kashmir. �The developments once again expose the double standards of the Centre vis-�-vis its perception of border disputes and border management in Assam, and Jammu and Kashmir,� he added.

AASU president Sankar Prasad Ray said that Gogoi being the Chief Minister of Assam, he should have kept the State�s interests in mind and any move to hand over land to Bangladesh must have been preceded by a thorough discussion with the public and representative organizations and political parties.

�Nothing of the sort was done and Gogoi went overboard in placating Bangladesh under the diktat of New Delhi while stamping upon the interests of the people of Assam,� he said.

AASU general secretary Tapan Gogoi said that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh�s role was equally deplorable as he was a representative from Assam. �He has left none in any doubt that he used the State only for his political gain. This is a betrayal of the people by both the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister, and we will continue with our protests,� he added.

The AASU has chalked out a series of agitational programmes beginning with a torchlight procession tomorrow, followed by a national highway blockade on September 10. A bicycle procession is scheduled for September 11 and 12.

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