Tezpur: Amid apprehensions and protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that it will have a very limited impact on the state. He claimed that this law will not have any major impact on the social and cultural structure of Assam. He said that infiltrators will be driven out of Assam.
Speaking at an event in Tezpur, Sarma said, “Three people got citizenship under CAA. This proves that the anti-CAA movement in Assam was not based on any logic. Till date, not a single new application has been filed under this law.”
The Chief Minister said that most of the Bengali Hindus in Assam had migrated before 1971, especially during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Therefore, they come under the purview of the Assam Accord. He further said, “According to the agreement, they are Indian citizens and there is no reason to doubt their status.”
Infiltrators will be thrown out:
On the issue of encroachment, Sarma said the drive to evict infiltrators will continue across Assam. “Not even an inch of Assam’s land will be allowed to remain in the hands of outsiders,” he told reporters.
No connection with Madani:
The chief minister rejected the opposition’s allegations of links between the BJP and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind leader Mahmood Madani. “What connection can I have with Madani? If I had any connection with him, why would he abuse me? It was Lurinjyoti Gogoi who shared the stage with Madani and talked about minority protection. So who actually has a relationship with him?” he said.
What is CAA?:
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 provides for granting Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who have come to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh due to religious persecution. There have been protests against the exclusion of Muslims from this Act.
It is feared in Assam and the North-Eastern states that this Act will increase the number of outsiders, which will put pressure on local language, culture and resources.
