First Scrap CAA, then Host Filmfare: AASU to Govt of Assam

Guwahati, February 3, 2020:

The All Assam Students' Union, currently waging a crusade against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, has opined that the Government of Assam should first scrap the contentious legislation before continuing celebrations such as the hosting of the Filmfare awards in Guwahati metropolis.

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Talking to Inside Northeast, Dipanka Nath, the President of the apex student body in Assam , has said that the anti-CAA brigade cannot afford to be led astray by the Government's "appeasement" policy. "This (the hosting of Filmfare awards) is clear-cut an attempt to divert the attention away from the real issues at hand. The Government's attempt to stall the agitation is an ongoing process, and this is one of those. We cannot let them mislead the people."

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The student leader also opined that the Government should host events like the prestigious Filmfare on the soil of Assam, but they must first withdraw the CAA. "My message to them (the Government) is, scrap the CAA...then do anything you want to."

Amid murmurs of a growing rift between the AASU leadership and icon Zubeen, an anti-CAA activist who is supporting the hosting of the Filmfare, Nath said that the musical heartthrob is free to tread his own path.

"Zubeen, first and foremost, is an artist. Thus, his life is oriented on arts...he is independent person with his own set of principles and beliefs. The AASU has clarified that students will continue with their studies, while the protests shall continue until and unless a final nail is placed on the coffin of the CAA", Nath clarified.

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