Opposition parties of Assam will oppose CAA implementation
Guwahati: Assam’s opposition parties on Monday said they will oppose any move by the central government to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), a day after Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra claimed that the law The final draft is expected. Be ready by next March.
He said that the people of the state will not tolerate any attempt to impose unconstitutional laws, which are against the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985.
Addressing the Matua community in West Bengal on Sunday, Mishra said the process of implementing the CAA has gained momentum and the final draft is expected to be ready by March.
The BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh said that no one can take away the citizenship rights of the Matuas who fled due to religious persecution in Bangladesh.
Congress MP Abdul Khaliq said the Center should put pressure on Bangladesh for the safety of Hindus living there so that they do not enter India due to any religious persecution.
“India provides assistance to Bangladesh with open arms but it cannot put pressure on their government to ensure the safety of Hindus. Rather, our BJP government is trying to bring Hindus here on the pretext of religious persecution,” he said.
The Barpeta Lok Sabha MP alleged that the BJP, which claims to support the interests of Hindus, is aiming to close the famous Dhakeshwari temple in Bangladesh through the CAA.
“If all Hindus are brought to India on the pretext of communal atrocities, then who will be left even to light the lamp in the temple there?” Khaliq said.
Leader of Opposition in Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia said Congress will oppose 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 this,” he stressed.
Assam Jaitya Parishad (AJP) chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi said the people of the state will not tolerate an “unconstitutional” law like the CAA.
“People will never tolerate such an unconstitutional law, which is against the very essence of secularism of our country,” he said.
Gogoi said Assam was not ready to bear any additional burden of foreigners, and asked the Prime Minister to rehabilitate Hindus entering the country to their home state Gujarat.
However, BJP MLA Jitu Goswami stressed that the saffron party is known for fulfilling its announcements, be it welfare schemes or other issues.
“BJP always keeps its word. Be it our assurance on Ram temple in Ayodhya or Ayushman Bharat scheme or CAA,” he said.
The CAA aims to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who entered India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014, after five years of residence here.
It was passed by both Houses of Parliament and given Presidential assent in December 2019, although the rules have not been notified yet.
