Centre's notification of rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 has sparked protests in parts of Assam and elsewhere in the northeast.
Assam had witnessed a volatile situation in December 2019 when the act was passed by the Parliament.
The rules pave the way for granting citizenship to persecuted minorities belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
Led by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), 30 organisations have appealed to people to put up a united fight against the Citizenship Amendment Act while the Congress-led Opposition alliance of 16 political parties announced a statewide ‘hartal’ or non-cooperation movement starting today.
Members of organisations representing indigenous communities burnt copies of the CAA notification in some parts of Assam on Monday evening as the police sounded a high alert across the state.
Why Assam is protesting against CAA?
There is a strong perception among the people of Assam that the CAA 2019 will endanger the culture, history and the identity of the Assamese people.
Those opposing say that the state would bear the maximum brunt as the state witnessed large scale migration from neighbouring Bangladesh since the Partition and even after creation of Bangladesh in 1971. They also fear that the CAA would reduce the indigenous people into minority by giving citizenship to a large number of Hindu Bengalis from Bangladesh.
Assam MLA and anti-CAA activist, Akhil Gogoi, issued a call on Monday evening urging everyone to peacefully come out and express their opposition to the CAA
Will CAA nullify Assam Accord of 1985?
The protest against CAA is also premised on the reasoning that the act will nullify the historic Assam Accord of 1985, which is regarded as a lifeline for the Assamese people.
The Centre had signed the Assam Accord in 1985 after the six-year-long anti-foreigner movement. The accord decided to detect and deport the post-1971 migrants, irrespective of religion.
How AASU has been in the forefront of anti-foreigners movement
AASU has been at the forefront of the anti-foreigners movement for decades and notably led the six-year-long anti-foreigners movement between 1979 and 1985. The organisation argues that the CAA would further dilute the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which pledged to identify "foreigners" with March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date.
Assam CM's strict warming to political parties
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has warned political parties against calling for bandhs against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
He added that political parties would risk losing their registration for non-compliance. He argued that legal avenues, rather than street protests, were the appropriate channels for opposing the CAA.
In a March 2019 order, the Guwahati High Court said all kinds of bandhs, including road and rail blockades, were illegal and unconstitutional. It also directed the Assam government to constitute a Bandh Loss Compensation Fund and paved the way for recovering losses from those who called for shutdowns. The chief minister added that aggrieved people can get the amended Citizenship Act scrapped by the Supreme Court like the IM(DT) Act.
How Tripura is reacting to CAA notification
In Tripura, the Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) is expected to carryout protests in areas under the tribal council opposing the CAA. The group fears the CAA would allow foreign nationals to secure Indian citizenship and upset the demographic balance in the Northeast region.
TSF general secretary Hamaru Jamatia had earlier said the tribal students’ body had been vocal against the CAA in 2016. He also expressed that the group is committed to safeguarding the welfare of all Indian citizens.
Mamata Banerjee's initial reactions
Addressing the press minutes after the Home Ministry notified the rules for CAA, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would fiercely oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) if she found it to be discriminatory against groups of people living in India and if it curtailed their existing citizenship rights in any manner.
The Trinamool Congress chief said that the alleged attempts to cancel the Aadhaar cards of Matua and other Namasudra community members in West Bengal were a “ploy” to lend credence to the CAA notification. The TMC has been opposing the CAA since the beginning.
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