Once a burning issue, CAA languishes on the back burner in Dibrugarh

With less than a week to go for polls, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), once vocally opposed in Assam’s Dibrugarh constituency, seems to have faded into the background of political discussions.

Dibrugarh will see Lurinjyoti Gogoi of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJB) who was the face of the anti-CAA protests in 2019-’20 lock horns against Union minister and former CM Sarbananda Sonowal. It is one of the five constituencies in Assam that vote in the first phase on April 19.

Voters in Dibrugarh now face the option of choosing continuity, as emphasised by Sonowal — who was an Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) MP from the seat between 2004 and 2009 — and the change advocated by Gogoi.

“There is work left to do,” the former CM told a mixed crowd comprising members of the Moran, Motok, Adivasi, Ahom and Singpho communities, all of whom live in the village of Duarmara Adorxo Gaon, on Thursday. He was referring to further expansion of the road network, issuance of ration cards, and the implementation of Central schemes such as the Jal Jeevan Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, and Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

Incidentally, Sonowal rose to prominence in the 1990s after he challenged the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983 under which the onus of proving one’s nationality or otherwise rested with the complainant and not the individual. Sonowal’s legal challenge and its consequent striking down by the Supreme Court earned him the sobriquet of “Jatiya Nayak (Assamese national leader)”.

Gogoi, who is a former secretary of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and floated the AJP following the massive anti-CAA protests in 2019-2020, is forcing Sonowal to address the CAA. The AJP, which is contesting the polls as a