Assam Ministers Rameswar Teli & Phani Bhusan Choudhary forced to run from CAB protesters

Guwahati, December 7, 2019:

Amid the ongoing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the phenomenon of Assam Ministers and MLAs scurrying for cover to escape the wrath of anti-CAB activists has become quite common.

Today, Union Minister Rameshwar Teli, was confronted by angry All Assam Students' Union (AASU) protesters from Naharkatia, who questioned him on the burning issue of the CAB.

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The protesters questioned that if the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is bad for the ILP regime and 6th schedule areas, how can it be good for the plains areas? The protesters then went on to condemn the BJP party (with cries of "BJP murdabad") and also raised slogans against the Assam Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal.

A helpless Teli, who was surrounded by security personnel, did not have a single answer to their queries. He eventually turned back, as the security personnel tried to keep the protesters from manhandling the Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

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In another incident, Assam Minister Phani Bhusan Chowdhury, along with his security guards, was seen running towards the safety of his SUV vehicle. Choudhury reportedly had to flee from irate protesters while attending a meet at Manikpur in Assam's Bongaigaon. At one point, it seemed like the Minister was going to trip on a treacherously knotty knoll of earth, but to his credit, the 67-year-old managed to find his balance and composure.

It may be mentioned here that the Government is aiming to amend a 1955 law that grants citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis and Christians from the Muslim-dominated countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan if they have lived in India for six years or more.

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