GUWAHATI: On March 11, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced the rules of the much-anticipated Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA-2019).
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Following the announcement, protests have reignited across Assam, spreading rapidly like wildfire as demonstrators demand the rollback of the controversial act.
However, Shazia Ilmi while speaking to GPlus said, “I don’t think the CAA implementation will have any effect on BJP in Assam.”
“CAA has been welcomed. It’s a promise that was made by none other than Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Ballav Bhai Patel and even Manmohan Singh who all talked about the persecuted minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to find refuge here. They have been a minority in India since partition,” Ilmi said.
On March 11, Samujjal Bhattacharya, Chief Adviser, AASU said, "AASU will hold continuous non-violent, peaceful, democratic movement will be staged by all the North East Students Organisation across Assam. We are also planning to wage legal battles to oppose the rules."
The president of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) Lurinjyoti Gogoi has criticised the central government for implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019, stating that it endangers Assam and the Assamese community.
Lurin appealed to the people of all the ethnic groups of Assam, parties, organizations and civic bodies to protest against the act through his series of tweets.
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Congress leader Shashi Tharoor while talking to the media also said, “...Under the CAA, there would be fast-track citizenship for those who've been seeking refuge from neighbouring countries. That's a very good principle. Those who are fleeing the neighbouring countries, who fear persecution there on any grounds, should be given asylum in our country. And I would have welcomed this law. But the moment you say people of one religion are excluded, what does that mean? You are basically leaving out people who may also desire to become Indian because of persecution... What about people who have come from Pakistan who may have been born Muslim but who have rejected that country and who have been persecuted in that country?...”
Several petitions were also filed at the Supreme Court to stay on the implementation of CAA.
Five youths were killed in an alleged police firing during a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) on December 12, 2019 - Sam Stafford, Dipanjal Das, Ishwar Nayak, Abdul Alim and Dwijendra Panging.
