CRPCC protests in Silchar, slams Modi over NRC, D-voter issues

 The Citizens’ Rights Protection Co-ordination Committee (CRPCC), a conglomerate of different organisations in Barak Valley, staged a protest in front of Khudiram Bose statue in Silchar on Wednesday over issues like the National Register of Citizens (NRC), D-voter, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 among others.

The CRPCC lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly not paying heed over the issues which have been a reason of deep concern for the residents of this part of the state.

CRPCC president and former Assam university vice-chancellor Tapodhir Bhattacharjee had harsh criticisms for the Indian Premier. He reminded him (Modi) of his promise he made on his last visit to the valley about demolishing detention camps from the state.

“It has been five years since you last visited Silchar. You had promised to demolish detention camps within three months of being elected but instead your government is setting up more camps”, Bhattacharjee said.

The former VC, however, said they will not be boycotting his visit but urged the citizens to pose questions in front of him. He alleged the PM had all the time to visit various countries but forgot about Barak Valley. He also highlighted the PM’s ‘failed’ promise on the revival of the HPC paper mill at Panchgram. “Let the employees get their salaries at least”, he said.

On the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, Bhattacharjee said that a specific date cannot decide who gets to be called an Indian. He said that all those living in the state have been ‘Indians’ since millenniums.

Partha Ranjan Chakraborty, a Congress member, said the Prime Minister has been fooling the people by making “fake” promises of employments and roads.

CRPCC central committee president Sourindra Bhattacharjee, vice-president Subroto Chanda Nath, general secretary Kishore Bhattacharjee, lawyer and social-activist Imaduddin Bulbul, member Sharifujjaman Laskar, Rahul Das Gupta, CPI(ML)’s Haider Hussain, CPI(M)’s Rafique Ahmed Barbhuiya, academician Prasenjit Biswas among others were also present during the protest.