MP Gaurav Gogoi along with MPs from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur & Meghalaya voiced their protest against Bill in Lok Sabha

New Delhi/Guwahati: Gaurav Gogoi, MP from Kaliabor Asom BBC, along with several other MPs from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya voiced their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 in the lower house (Lok Sabha) today.

Congress in a press statement claimed that the Bill has proven problematic in many ways, with concerns being raised with how it is anti-constitutional as it makes illegal migrants eligible for citizenship on the basis of religion. It also dilutes the terms of the Assam Accord, signed in 1985 and would lead to a large influx of Bangladeshi illegal migrants into Assam.

They stormed the well, while raising slogans and carried placards that said “Save Assam Accord”, “Stop Citizenship Bill 2016” and “Save Assam”. Through the leader of the Congress Party in the House, Mallikarjun Khargeji, they opposed the Bill and demanded that it be referred to a parliamentary committee to adjudge its constitutionality.

The leaders of the Congress then walked out of the Parliament to make their displeasure felt. When interacting with the media outside the Parliament, Shri Gaurav Gogoi said that today is truly ‘a black day for Assam in the Parliament’, when asked about his views on the issue. A sensitive issue like this is being manipulated by the current government to appease certain vote banks before the elections.