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citizenship

Citizenship amendment row

divides people in northeast

s many parts of northeast Logic given by the opposition is that the Indian citizenship
India were witnessing
series of protest-demon- cannot be conferred on the basis of religion as it is a secular
strations against the Cen- country and if this is done, it would go against the spirit of the
A tre’s proposed Citizenship
(Amendment) Bill 2016 for months, a Constitution, reports nava thakuria
massive public rally in the outskirt of
Guwahati showed a different picture. gion took pledge not to allow New Delhi ince’s demography.
Addressing the meeting, which was to pass the concerned bill. Organized The protest gained momentum,
poured by record breaking hundred by All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) when the Joint Parliamentary Commit-
thousand audiences, Prime Minister along with 30 indigenous groups the tee (JPC) on the matter had arrived in
Narendra Modi declared that the Bill rally on 23 January was followed by a Guwahati last year for public hearings.
would be honoured. torchlight procession in the evening by A number of indigenous organizations,
Organised at Changsari locality Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS) local politicians, intellectuals, media
under Kamrup district on 9 Febru- along with 70 other local bodies. personalities etc assembled on the
ary 2019, the spectacular gathering Logic behind the opposition points venue and raised their voices against
applaused PM Modi when he termed out that the Indian citizenship cannot the Bill.
the initiative as a moral responsibil- be conferred on the basis of religion However, the subsequent hearing
ity for the government to support the in Silchar of Bengali dominated Barak
asylum seekers from the Muslim domi- valley witnessed a different picture as
nated Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bang- The move by the most of the organizations supported
ladesh who had fled their countries the initiative. The valley was reluctant
because of religious persecutions there. ruling BJP to amend to join in the anti-bill protests, when
However the move by the ruling the citizenship laws Lok Sabha passed the Bill on 8 January.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to amend Facing extreme public outcries, one
the citizenship laws in favor of Hindu, in favor of Hindu, of BJP’s Assam allies Asom Gana Pari-
Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, shad (AGP) had pulled out of the gov-
refugees from nearby countries has ernment in Dispur. The AGP leaders
ignited a firestorm in the region. The Parsi and Christian claimed that the proposed amendment
tide against the Union government in refugees from would challenge the Assam accord,
New Delhi has been inspired by the signed in 1985 after the culmination of
arising apprehensions among north- nearby countries has six years long movement, which they
eastern indigenous people that they ignited a firestorm don’t prefer.
might lose many of their rights after the The Assam agitation, launched in
citizenship law is amended. in the region 1979 with the demand to detect and
The region also observed a Bandh deport all illegal migrants (read Bang-
(total shut down) on 8 January pro- ladeshi nationals) from the country,
testing against New Delhi’s adamant as it is a secular country and if done it culminated with an accord signed by
attitude to pass the Bill in Lok Sabha would go against the spirit of the con- the agitators with the Centre in pres-
and prepare placing it in Rajya Sabha. stitution. The other one, which has been ence of the then Prime Minister Rajiv
The opposition to the initiative start- endorsed by 95% of protesting organi- Gandhi. Leaders of AASU and now
ed surfacing in various parts, where zations, pointed out that Assam had defunct Asom Gana Sangram Parishad
Assam’s Brahmaputra valley has taken already taken the burden of numer- agreed to accept everyone entering
the lead for two years now. ous illegal migrants (read Bangladeshi Assam prior to 25 March 1971 as legal
Guwahati recently witnessed a rally nationals from 1951 to 1971) and it Indian citizens.
opposing the Bill where 3,000 strong should not get more migrants, as it Need not mention that the move-
gathering from different parts of the re- would completely destroy the prov- ment started with the ultimate goal to

tehelka / 28 february 2019 9 www.tehelka.com