Guwahati, May 21: With the Congress returning to power in Delhi, the anti-IMDT brigade has been forced to redraw its strategy for revoking the controversial law. The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which is at the forefront of the lobby demanding the scrapping of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, said it would soon meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The union would apprise her of the ground situation in the state and try to convince her of the need to immediately repeal the act.
On the other hand, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) would take an initiative to evolve a consensus among all regional parties in the country. “We will discuss it with other regional and like-minded parties so that a new bill can be moved to scrap the act,” senior AGP leader Ramendra Narayan Kalita said.
AASU president Prabin Boro today said the union’s delegation would soon leave for Delhi after the new government takes charge. “We had earlier met Sonia Gandhi when she was leader of the Opposition and briefed her on our demand. We will soon meet her again over the legislation,” Boro said.
He said the students’ union would launch a fresh move to evolve a consensus, particularly among the ruling alliance, on the urgent need for repealing the act. The Congress has vehemently opposed all moves to scrap the controversial act on the ground that it was the only instrument for protecting genuine Indian citizens from being harassed.
Boro said the union was also planning to restart a statewide movement to exert pressure on the Congress, which is in power both at the Centre and the state, to reconsider its stand on the act.
The BJP, which had brought a bill in Parliament to scrap the act, is now gearing up to evolve a new strategy for push its repeal-IMDT agenda as the bill has lapsed.