AMSU calls for 12-hour Tinsukia bandh on Saturday, in time for PM Modi's visit

UPDATE: The 12-hour #Tinsukia district bandh called by All Moran Student’s Union was withdrawn on Friday after receiving invitation for talks by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Tinsukia: On a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit upper Assam, the All Moran Student’s Union (AMSU) has called a 12-hour Tinsukia district-bandh on January 23, to protest the betrayal of the Moran community by PM Modi.

The development assumes significance in the backdrop of former president of AMSU, Arunjyoti Moran, one of the prominent students’ leader spearheading the demand for scheduled tribe status and anti-CAA protests against the ruling BJP government, having joined the saffron party less than two weeks ago.

Calling out ‘lies’ by PM Modi at a press meet in Tinsukia, AMSU president Naba Moran said, “In a Lok Sabha election rally in 2014, Modi (the prime ministerial candidate of NDA) had promised to grant Scheduled Tribe status to six communities of Assam. The BJP had carried out advertisements to win our hearts.”

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“The promise was repeated before the 2016 Assembly elections when Sarbananda Sonowal, the jati-nayak, was the chief ministerial candidate. We helped them win elections but they lied to us just to secure votes,” Moran said, adding, “Even being six years in power at the Centre and five years in the state, their promises are like empty vessels.”

Before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had promised to meet the demand of providing ST status to six communities — Moran, Muttock, Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Sutia, and the tea tribes — within a year of coming to power.

Declaring a series of agitations, Moran said, we shall take out a torch rally on Friday, to be followed by a 12-hour Tinsukia district bandh starting at 5.00 am. “We have decided to call a bandh and boycott PM Modi meeting for his betrayal of Moran communities.”

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“If the BJP government at the Centre and State still do not act, we shall start an indefinite economic blockade of all natural resources moved out from Tinsukia from February 5 onwards,” said Moran.

“We shall organize an awareness rally in all pockets dominated by Moran communities starting February 20. We will expose the lies of this government, be it Model college at Philobari in Tinsukia district or other initiatives announced for the upliftment of the Moran community as a whole.

“On February 25, a convention of Moran community will be held at Tinsukia district to discuss BJP lies, which will be followed by a huge public meeting before March 7 when the fate of the ruling party in the coming election will be declared,” the student leader.

He, however, added that the community is open to talks with anyone, “but the protests won’t be called off even if our former president Arunjyoti Moran offers to mediate.”