Noted academicians and intellectuals in Assam vented their opinions against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 at a public meeting organized by Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) at Sudmerson Hall of Cotton College in Guwahati on Sunday.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was introduced by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government on July 2016 in the Indian Parliament. It aims to provide citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who left Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to escape religious persecution.
Noted academic, Dr Hiren Gohain stated that India’s Centre always pressurized Assam for their vested interests.
“The present Sarbananda Sonowal Government is wholly engaged in deteriorating the law and order scenario in the state of Assam. And the movement against the Citizenship Bill must continue at any cost,” said Dr Gohain.
He added that muteness among the non-Assamese people living in Assam in the context of the Citizenship Bill evokes grave concern.
The noted academic also stated that ratification of the Bill in the Indian Parliament would ‘hammer the last nail in the coffin’ of the Assamese community.
Dr Dinesh Baisya, Principal of B Barooah College harboured the opinion that the Bill would completely buffet the basic principle of secularism enshrined in the Indian Constitution.
Dr Baisya claimed that no Hindus are tortured in Bangladesh.
He also alleged that the Centre’s move to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis is a conspiracy to create a vote bank for the BJP.
Academic Dr Apurba Baruah said, “There must be well co-ordination among the organisations representing the various ethnic groups of the Northeast for strengthening the movement against the Bill.”
Noted lawyer and social activist Nekibur Zaman demanded the scrapping of the “vexatious bill.”
He also held the Assam Government responsible for the Tinsukia killings.
“Many BJP and RSS activists are now trying to divert our attention and goal and therefore they have already started to execute their plan. Some anti-social and anti-Assamese people have already started entering the state to hamper the movement,” alleged Nekibur Rahman.