Assam’s opposition parties to resist CAA implementation

Opposition parties of Assam said they will oppose any move by the central government to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), a day after Union MoS for Home Ajay Mishra claimed that the final draft of the legislation is expected to be ready by March next. 

They said the people of the state would not tolerate any attempt to impose an ‘unconstitutional’ law, which goes against the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985. Mishra, while addressing the Matua community in West Bengal on Sunday, said the process to roll out CAA has gained momentum and the final draft is expected to be ready by March. 

The BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh asserted that nobody can snatch citizenship rights from Matuas, who had fled religious persecution in Bangladesh. 

Congress MP Abdul Khaleque said the Centre should exert pressure on Bangladesh to protect the Hindus living there so that they do not enter India due to any religious persecution. 

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"India provides assistance to Bangladesh with open hands but it cannot exert pressure on their government to ensure protection of Hindus. Rather, our BJP government is trying to bring the Hindus here in the pretext of religious persecution," he said. 

The Barpeta Lok Sabha MP alleged that the BJP, which claims to espouse the cause of the Hindus, is targeting to shut down the famous Dhakeswari temple in Bangladesh through the CAA. "If all the Hindus are brought to India in the pretext of communal torture, who will be left there to even light a lamp in the temple?” Khaleque said. Leader of opposition in Assam assembly Debabrata Saikia said the Congress will resist the CAA as it is against the provisions of the Assam Accord. 

"The Assam Accord has fixed March 25, 1971 as the date for identifying illegal foreigners in the state. We will not accept any law that goes against it," he asserted. Assam Jaitya Parishad (AJP) chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi said people of the state will not "tolerate an unconstitutional" legislation like the CAA. "The people will never tolerate imposition of such an unconstitutional law, which goes against the very essence of secularism of our country," he said. 

Gogoi said Assam was not ready to take any additional burden of foreigners, and asked the prime minister to rehabilitate Hindus who enter the country in his home state Gujarat. BJP legislator Jitu Goswami, however, asserted that the saffron party is known for keeping its announcements, be it welfare schemes or other issues. "BJP always keeps its words. Be it our assurance over Ram Mandir in Ayodhya or Ayushman Bharat scheme or the CAA," he said. 

The CAA seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis entering India on or before December 31, 2014 from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after five years of residence here. It was passed by both Houses of Parliament and given Presidential assent in December 2019, though the rules are yet to be notified.