Representatives of 46 organisations on Monday claimed that Tuesday’s 12-hour Assam bandh, called against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, would be “the biggest bandh ever” in the history of the state, though cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said observing the bandh would tantamount to contempt of court.

The organisations hurriedly organised a news conference here on Monday morning following reports that the state government was putting pressure on business houses and others to foil the bandh.

“The behaviour of the state government reminds us of the Assam Movement period when the Hiteswar Saikia government had resorted to all means to foil bandhs,” said Akhil Gogoi, adviser to Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), one of the organisations that has called the bandh.

The organisations also demanded an apology from BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass for describing them as “so called organisations”.

“If he does not apologise, we will not let him live in peace,” Akhil said.

The organisations said they would deploy 10,000 volunteers in Guwahati alone to make the bandh successful. They appealed to the people not to use private cars and motorcycles.

On the other hand, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which has also been opposing the bill, stayed away from supporting the bandh.

“The organisations which have called the bandh have the democratic right to do so. But AASU has decided not to call Assam bandh unless there is an absolutely unavoidable circumstance,” AASU general secretary Lurin Jyoti Gogoi said.

Akhil said 60 organisations were now supporting the bandh.

Nagarik Surakhya Samity, one of the organisations ralling behind the 46 organisations, said the protest was not against Bengalis but against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and requested Bengalis to cooperate with them.

The bill has been welcomed in the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley districts.

The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and the All Assam Minority Students’ Union has offered support to the bandh.

Torch-lit rally: A torch-lit rally by the KMSS and the Satra Mukti Sangram Samitee (SMSS), demanding scrapping of the proposed Citizens (Amendment) Act, was held from Paikan to Paikan-Tura Road on NH37 under Krishnai police station in Goalpara district of Assam on Sunday.

Additional reporting by our correspondent in Goalpara