Page 51 - English Tehelka Issue 1&2

northeast

also added that those asylum seekers munity in West Bengal have seem-
here could not have been ing to 68.27 lakh families residing in Dispur, and its main opposition party, had already taken shelter in India and Regional leaders ingly compelled her to make such
a better gift for Assamese the state were received. The second the Congress, have engaged in verbal there is no provision in the amend- had betrayed the comments. Earlier, Assam govern-
public than the release and final part of the draft is expected confrontations claiming credit for the ments to bring more Bangladeshi (or ment spokesperson Chandra Mohan
of the first draft of the to be published early this year. NRC updating process. The BJP criti- Pakistani and Afghan) nationals after Assamese people Patowary, state minister Himanta
T National Register of It is follow-up action to the cised Congress and other parties for December 31, 2014. who were hopeful Biswa Sarma, Assam Public Works
Citizens (NRC) on the midnight of Assam Accord, signed by leaders of not showing interest in the updation Finally, the PPFA stated that Indians chief Abhijit Sarma, AASU adviser
December 31, 2017. After all, they had the All Assam Students Union (AASU) of NRC in Assam, whereas the Con- should not forget that all these people for action on the Samujjal Bhattacharya, AGP presi-
been desiring it for decades. Contrary and Gana Sangram Parishad with gress leaders claimed that it was their became the victims of the India-Paki- long-pending dent Atul Bora, KMSS leader Akhil
to the widespread apprehensions the Rajiv Gandhi government in initiative to update the NRC in Assam stan partition game plan and had to Gogoi, eminent scholar Nirode K. Ba-
of an unpleasant situation arising 1985. The historic memorandum of under the leadership of former prime live in a foreign land for the creation contentious issue rooah with many others had criticised
after the release of the first NRC draft, understanding puts responsibility on minister Manmohan Singh. of which they were not responsible of Bangladeshi her for her “irrational statements”.
no major untoward incidents were the Union government to detect and Assam’s former chief minister and at all. The forum slammed Mamata Even the Bengali-speaking people in
reported from any part of the state. deport all migrants (read East Paki- veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi Banerjee for finding fault in the NRC immigrants the State slammed Banerjee for her
The authority along with various stani and Bangladeshi nationals) who said that the NRC updation would be updating process going on in Assam comment on NRC updating process
political parties, civil society advocacy entered Assam after the midnight of a futile exercise if the Centre gets the and requested her to exercise restraint and said it might spread misinforma-
group representatives and the media March 24, 1971. Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 while making any public statement. It tion and confusion across the nation.
have played a pragmatic role in main- In other words, the agreement passed in the Parliament. The year alleged that Banerjee had communal- bunch of intellectuals, had done the At least three FIRs were lodged in vari-
taining peace across the region. accepted all residents prior to the 2017 witnessed enormous discussions ised the issue with queer logic. “The same during the Assam movement to ous police stations against the Ben-
and apprehensions in Assam about Trinamool Congress chief has sim- deport illegal Bangladeshi migrants,” gal chief minister for her derogatory
the initiative to amend the Citizenship ply tried to play a cunning game as a said the PPFA. comments targeting the apex court of
NRC updation: A New Act, 1955 with the provisions to grant few Bengali politicians of yesteryears, appeasement policies of Mamata the country. letters@tehelka.com
The forum pointed out that the
citizenship to persecuted religious
including her predecessor Commu-
minorities (read non-Muslims) from
Banerjee towards a particular com-
nist leader Jyoti Basu, along with a
Year gift for Assam Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangla- • Updating record The much-awaited update of NRC of 1951 is undergoing in Assam following the directive of the Supreme Court of India
desh after due processes. The citi-
zenship amendment bill is expected
to get passed soon in both Houses of photos: dasarath deka
Parliament.
The release of the first draft of National Register of Citizens, which is a Assam, in particular, witnessed
first step towards clearing the air on the controversial nationality issue, huge protests against the initiative
arguing that the amendment would
has been welcomed by one and all in the state, writes nava thakuria jeopardize the historic Assam Accord
as well as it would harm the social
fabric of the state where various com-
However, West Bengal Chief Min- dateline as Indian nationals in Assam munities irrespective of their caste,
ister Mamata Banerjee claimed in even though the movement was run creed and religions had been living in
a public meeting recently that the with the spirit of 1951 as the base year harmony.
NRC updating process in Assam was to detect illegal migrants like in other In the meantime, a forum urged
a “conspiracy to drive away Benga- parts of India. It, however, mentioned intellectuals and civil society groups
lis”; but she failed to get support of about constitutional safeguards to the to debate the issue in the right per-
Assam’s Bengali-speaking people, indigenous communities of Assam to spectives. The Patriotic People’s Front
many of whose names were missing be facilitated by the Centre. of Assam (PPFA) also pointed out that
in the draft. They rather considered it Illegal Bangladeshi migrants few ill-motivated Assamese elements
as an error and have sought necessary remain a vital socio-political issue for were claiming that the concerned
correction in the final NRC draft. the northeastern region of India even bill was Assam-centric. “Those biased
The much-awaited update of NRC today. The Assam movement had individuals keep pronouncing that
of 1951 is undergoing in Assam fol- erupted in the eighties and culmi- once the bill turns into a law, millions
lowing the directive of the Supreme nated with the agreement. The devel- of Bengali Hindus from Bangladesh
Court of India; the process is also opment finally empowered the Asom would be dumped in Assam. They
being monitored by the apex court. Gana Parishad (AGP), which came to cleverly concealed that the asylum
Its first draft comprised names of power in Dispur for two terms. How- seekers were not merely Bengali
1.9 crore people out of around 3.29 ever, the regional party leaders alleg- Hindus, but a mix of Rajbongshi, Ha-
crore total applicants. The process of edly betrayed the people on the issue. jong, Jayantiya, Bishnupriya, Chakma,
updating began in 2013. About 6.5 Meanwhile, the ruling Bhartiya Garo, Khasi, Adivasi, etc. with differ-
crore supporting documents pertain- Janata Party, both in New Delhi and ent religious faiths,” said the forum. It

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