Terming the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 by Lok Sabha on Tuesday as a "Black Day" for Assam and the country, former chief minister Tarun Gogoi accused the BJP government of polarising the country on the basis of religion.
"By passing the bill, the BJP government has polarised citizens as Hindus and Muslims and accepted Jinnah's politics of dividing the country," the senior Congress leader said.
"The bill has endangered Assam's culture, heritage, existence for whose preservation Assam's people have been agitating for long, Assam Accord was signed at the end of the 6-year long Assam Agitation (from 1979), 855 became martyrs during the agitation and even Congress people became victims", he said.
Gogoi claimed that even in the Assam Accord those illegally entering Assam after midnight March 24, 1971 would be detected as foreigners. Aliens are not to be identified on the basis of religion. Our country is a secular one, it is in our Constitution's Preamble.
"BJP MPs, MLAs took oath accordingly. By passing the bill on religious ground they have insulted their oath. What is the difference between them and Jinnah who partitioned India on the basis of religion", he said.
Gogoi, who was a former three-time chief minister of the state claimed that "Assam is burning. BJP wants to destroy Assam and push the future of the youth to darkness".
He said "this will cause loss to both the North East region and the country. If such unrests continue, Assam will always remain disturbed and troubled".
The senior Congress leader said "This Bill is a jumla...through it BJP is hoping to get Bengali speaking people's vote."
He said "Sarbananda has brought sarbanash (destruction) for Assam. BJP has now become Bangladesh's party."