Sonowal says, Protests don’t work

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who has been facing sharp criticism by members of different organisations over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), has said that agitations could not lead to the development of the State. Rejecting the voices raising against the bill, he advised the young generation of the State not to involve in movements and agitations.

Sonowal,who became the chief minister of the State in 2016, was once a student leaderand led various protests for the right of the people of Assam. But after facingprotest against the bill, he has changed his tune and suggested the younggeneration not to join agitations.

Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of the 1400-meter long T-shaped flyover on the GS road in Guwahati, the CM said, "You cannot change the future through protests and agitations. The young generation of the state must endeavour to put Assam strongly at the world stage and they must not while away the most productive time of their lives in movements and agitations. Building a robust work culture in the state should be the prime objective of everyone and youths must not be misled to join agitations based on concocted and baseless grounds."

On theother hand, Assam PWD minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who often createscontroversy with his statements, said that some forces were trying to createrifts between different communities and stall the development initiatives ofthe government. Taking a jibe at the agitation against the CAB, he also saidthat the State witnessed lots of agitations and movements in the last 40-50years.