Congress kicks off 800-km long 'Padyatra' in Assam to protest against CAA
Guwahati, Dec 22: Protest against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act continued on Sunday with the opposition Congress kicking off an 800-km long 'Padyatra' from Sadiya to Dhubri.
Sadiya is a far east town of Assam and Dhubri is the headquarters of the western most district, which is located along the India-Bangladesh border.
"We have been stating it very clearly that Assam will never accept this Act. It is anti-Assam and anti-Northeast.
Congress party is with the people of Assam," Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora said.
Addressing a huge crowd, the Rajya Sabha MP said that the agitation will be further intensified till the Act is repealed.
Meanwhile, a public funeral service in memory of teenager Sam Stafford, who was killed in firing by the security forces, was organised in Guwahati on Sunday.
Hundreds of people, including AASU leaders, celebrities, writers, artists and the general public, attended the function and condemned the "government's brutality".
"The chief minister and his forces are engaged in killing innocent children. The minor, Sam, is the first martyr of the anti-CAA movement. We will not forget him and we will not sit down until the Act is repealed," All Assam Students' Union president Dipanka Kumar Nath said at the function.
Protest marches were organised at several tea gardens of upper Assam, while a huge gathering against the law took place in Rowta of Udalguri district.
People and artistes came out in large numbers in Guwahati and other places during the day.
Assam has witnessed one of the worst violent protests by the public in its history with three rail stations, a post office, a bank, a bus terminus, shops, dozens of vehicles and many other public properties being set ablaze or totally damaged.
Already five persons, including four in firing by security forces, have lost their lives since December 11.
After the Rajya Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on December 11 night, the state erupted in uncontrolled protests, in which agitators engaged in pitch battle in almost every major city or town, forcing the administration to impose curfew.
Several towns and cities were placed under indefinite curfew, including Guwahati, the epicentre of protests, besides Dibrugarh, Tezpur and Dhekiajuli. Night curfew was imposed in Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia and Charaideo districts.
With the situation is turning to normal, the curfew has been lifted from several cities and were relaxed in the rest.
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PM Modi holds talks with Dutch counterpart Jetten; discusses trade, investment
The Hague (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held wide-ranging talks with his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten, focusing on trade, investment, and critical technologies.
Modi arrived in the Netherlands on Friday on the second leg of his five-nation tour. This is his second trip to the Netherlands, following his visit in 2017.
Ahead of the bilateral talks, Modi, along with Jetten, held discussions with prominent CEOs of leading Dutch companies across various sectors such as energy, ports, health, agriculture trade, and technology, among others.
Modi invited Dutch companies to explore opportunities in India, particularly in maritime, renewable energy, digital technologies, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and healthcare sectors.
"We are continuously reducing compliance and increasing the ease of doing business. We have recently carried out next-generation reforms in taxation, labour code, and governance," he told the business leaders.
The prime minister added that manufacturing in India is becoming very cost-effective, and in the services sector, it has become the engine of efficiency and innovation.
"We invite all of you to design and innovate in India. There can be no better time for this than today," he said.
"Today's India is a symbol of scale and stability. In terms of scale, we are also the fastest-growing major economy in the world and the world's largest talent pool. Infrastructure, clean energy or connectivity – no one in the world can match India's speed," Modi said.
"And on the subject of stability, I have completed 12 years of serving as the Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy. In these 12 years, with continuous reforms, we have transformed our economic DNA. Our direction has been clear – to give policy predictability to the private sector and increase opportunities for them," he added.
Modi said his government has opened up every sector for the private sector, be it space, mining or nuclear energy.
Ahead of the meeting, an agreement between ASML and Tata Electronics was signed in the presence of the two leaders.
The two prime ministers also called for early implementation of the India-EU-FTA.
Earlier, Prime Minister Modi met King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Royal Palace and discussed close cooperation in digital technology, innovation, fintech and blue economy.
PM Modi's visit will build on the momentum of high-level engagements and close cooperation spanning diverse sectors, including defence, security, innovation, green hydrogen, semiconductors and a strategic partnership on water, the MEA said ahead of his visit.
The Netherlands is one of India's largest trade destinations in Europe, with bilateral trade worth USD 27.8 billion in 2024-25. The European nation is India's fourth-largest investor with cumulative foreign direct investment of USD 55.6 billion.
From the Netherlands, the prime minister will travel to Sweden for a two-day trip from May 17 to 18.
