AGP seeks photo I-cards for Indians

GUWAHATI: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) today demanded that photo identity cards should be provided to all genuine Indian citizens to remove feeling of apprehension from their minds in order to avoid clashes like the ones in the districts of Udalguri, Darrang and Sonitpur. A delegation of the regional party visited the affected areas of the three districts yesterday to take stock of the situation and appealed to all sections of people not to allow themselves to be instigated by anyone.

Talking to this correspondent, AGP president Brindaban Goswami said that as all the political parties and organizations of Assam have accepted March 25, 1971 as the cut off date for detection and deportation of foreigners, the Government must expedite the process of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and provide photo identity cards to all genuine Indian citizens within a specific time frame to remove apprehension from the minds of all sections of people.

Goswami expressed the view that the feeling of apprehension in the minds of the people is one of the main reasons for the tension, while, “certain forces also tried to take advantage of the situation by instigating the people for their own gain.” He appealed to all sections of people of Assam to maintain the bond of unity and not to pay heed to any rumour.

The AGP president said that there was no record of any discord between different sections of people in the areas where clashes broke out and the people told the AGP delegation that they were living peacefully for years. But now tension prevails in the area after the clashes and the Government also failed to take adequate precautionary measures on time to prevent such unfortunate incidents.

However, Goswami said that the possibility of such clashes in other parts of the State cannot be ruled out till a permanent solution to the problem of infiltration of foreigners is found. He demanded that the Government should expedite the process of sealing the international border with Bangladesh to prevent fresh infiltration and the foreigners who came to Assam after March 25, 1971 must be detected and deported under the provisions of the Assam Accord to instil sense of security among the indigenous people. He said that a strong political will is required to solve the problem and the loopholes in the laws should be plugged to make the process of detection and deportation of foreigners more effective. He also asserted that no one should be allowed to give communal colour to the problem of infiltration of foreigners.

The members of the AGP will observe hunger strike in all the district headquarters on August 22 in support of the demand for permanent solution to the problem of infiltration. The party will also launch a signature campaign all over the State from August 26 to put pressure on the Government for implementation of the Assam Accord for a permanent solution of the problem and to provide identity cards to the Indian citizens on the basis of updated NRC within a specific time frame.

Source : Assam Tribune