Keep Assam out of CAA: Gorkha bodies

GUWAHATI: Major Gorkha civil society organisations of the state - the Assam Gorkha Sammelan (AGS), the state unit of national federation of Gorkhas in India - the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha (BGP) and the Assam unit of the Bharatiya Gorkha Mahila Parisangha (BhaGoMaP) has demanded that the Centre exempt Assam from the ambit of Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019.


Speaking to the media in Guwahati on Saturday, Bhaskar Dahal, the general secretary of AGS, said CAA 2019 will be a threat to the indigenous Gorkhas of the state. "If Assam is not exempted from the CAA, it will not only change the demography of the state, but will adversely affect the official Assamese language, cultural assimilation of the communities, arts and literature, finally leading to challenging the constitutional protection by new settlers," said Dahal, a former president of All Assam Gorkha Students' Union (AAGSU).

"Any attempt to dilute our indigenous identity by implementing CAA 2019 won't be tolerated. If the Centre keeps Gorkhas out of constitutional safeguard, we will launch a vigorous democratic movement till our demands are met," he added.

Prakash Dahal, general secretary of BGP's Assam state committee, said the Assam Accord was a national commitment by the Centre to people of the state and Clause 6 guarantees constitutional protection of indigenous communities, which he said should be implemented even before CAA 2019 is notified across the country.

Several Gorkha organisations have participated in the anti-CAA stir and gana satyagraha held across Assam. They expressed unconditional support to the movement spearheaded by All Assam Students' Union (Aasu).