PM tweets message to Assam, Cong says internet shut, who will read

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 12

As people defied curfew in Guwahati on Thursday morning to protest against the Citizen (Amendment) Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to dispel apprehensions about the Bill by giving them assurance that nobody can take their rights.

In a series of tweets, in both Assamese and English, the prime minister said he personally and the Central government are "totally committed to constitutionally safeguard the political, linguistic, cultural and land rights of the Assamese people as per the spirit of Clause 6."   

The Clause 6 of the Assam Accord guaranteed safeguarding local rights, language and culture.

The Central Government and I are totally committed to constitutionally safeguard the political, linguistic, cultural and land rights of the Assamese people as per the spirit of Clause 6.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2019

"I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of #CAB (sic)," PM Modi wrote on the microblogging site.

He said, "No one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow."

I want to assure my brothers and sisters of Assam that they have nothing to worry after the passing of #CAB.

I want to assure them- no one can take away your rights, unique identity and beautiful culture. It will continue to flourish and grow.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2019

Several incidents of violence have been reported from the northeastern state following the passage of the bill by Parliament on Wednesday night. The law seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan facing persecution there.

Taking a jibe at Modi, the Congress tweeted that the people of Assam could not read his message because internet services had been snapped in the state. 

Our brothers & sisters in Assam cannot read your 'reassuring' message Modiji, in case you've forgotten, their internet has been cut off. https://t.co/mWzR9uPgKh

— Congress (@INCIndia) December 12, 2019

Meanwhile, to control the deteriorating law and order situation over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2019, eight columns of the Indian Army was deployed to Assam and Tripura as per the requests made by the governments of the two states.

Five columns, each consisting of 70 soldiers and one or two officers, were deployed in Assam, while three columns have been deployed in Tripura.

Army sources said that the personnel's task would be to help the local administration wherever and whenever required.

Guwahati has become an epicentre of the anti-CAB protests, prompting the Assam government to place the city under an indefinite curfew.

Both Assam and Tripura plunged into chaos after the Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on Monday midnight and the situation deteriorated after the legislation passed its final hurdle in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday night.

Internet services have been suspended in both the states over fears of the misuse of social media to disturb peace. With inputs from agencies 

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