The Bill, which has been claimed as a threat to the state and against the basic principles of the 1985 Assam Accord, was passed in the Lok Sabha on 8th January. “We will never be minorities in our own state. The bill once passed will make the Assamese people minorities in Assam. The BJP government in Assam came to power promising to protect ‘Jati’, ‘Mati’, and ‘Bheti’ (community, land, and foundation) of Assam. However, it has made a U-turn on its promises and is hatching a conspiracy against indigenous communities,” said AASU chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya.