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RUPAHI (ASSAM): It’s not the first time that 23-year old Marjina Begum of Rupahi in Assam’s Nagaon district has participated in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests that rocked the state and country in general. On Sunday too, she came out from her home early in the morning to take part in a protest rally of women at Saidoria playground to raise their voice against the controversial act.
“I will continue to oppose the CAA. We don’t support this. We are already overburdened with people including the migrants from Bangladesh. We don’t need any more from Bangladesh,” said Marjina who studied till class VII.
More than five thousand women participated in the protest on Sunday where several senior Congress leaders took part. For the Congress party it was a platform to launch their election campaign for the 2021 assembly elections.
Assam has witnessed huge protests against the CAA. Starting from All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and all the major organizations have been opposing the act ever since the bill was tabled in the parliament.
Marjina further said that her sister in law and mother in law also participated in the rally on Sunday. “All of us in the family oppose the act. Prior to this, I have also participated in some anti-CAA protest rallies in Nagaon town and in some other parts of the district. I’m a Muslim but I will not support the act even if this allows Muslims from the neighbouring countries,” Marjina said.
Among others, Assam Congress president Ripun Bora and MP Gaurav Gogoi participated in the protest rally. “It’s great to see women coming out to protest in such large numbers in Assam. This indicates that the women of our state have realized the importance of it. This is a strong message against the BJP and the CAA,” said Gogoi addressing the rally.
Gogoi also slammed Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal for not giving much focus for the development of the state.
Ripun Bora said that the BJP is bringing a division in the society in the name of religion. “The BJP wants the votes of Hindu immigrants and as such, it brought the CAA which has divided people. They (BJP) are making it Assamese versus Bengali, Muslims versus Muslims and Hindus versus Muslims. But the people have realized this now. The women of the society are against BJP now. The women have understood that the BJP is not doing any welfare for the society,” said Bora.
