Guwahati: “Where will the Hindus facing persecution in other countries go, if they are not allowed to stay in India, the only home of hindus in the world ?”, one of Assam’s cabinet ministers and a BJP leader , Dr Himanta Bishwa Sarma asked referring to the growing opposition from various organisations in Assam against the Centre’s move to pave way for citizenship status to non-Muslim refugees staying in India to escape persecution in their homeland including Bangladesh and Pakistan.
“There are many countries in the world where Muslims can go and live, so is the case with Christians.
But a Hindu, who faces persecution in any of the countries, has one country to take refuge, i.e. India.
So, should we allow those hindus persecuted in other countries to become citizens of India or let them die because of persecution in their homeland.
I am not talking about only hindu migrants in Assam, but about all non-Muslim refugees staying India.
In case, they are provided with citizenship, they will be able to stay anywhere in the country including Assam,” Dr Sarma said.
Many organisations in Assam including All Assam Students ‘Union (AASU), Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) have opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 which has been sent to the joint select committee of the Parliament, apprehending that it will pave way for grant of citizenship to illegal Hindu migrants from Bangladesh staying in Assam.
These organisations demand that swarming illegal migrants from Bangladesh who have posed threat to identity of indigenous population in the state, must be deported irrespective of their religion as per Assam Accord, 1985 taking March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date.
Meanwhile, the joint select committee has set September 30 as the last date for gathering opinion from public all over the country regarding the Amendment Bill which was introduced in Lok Sabha last month by Home Minister Rajnath Singh last month.
This bill is apparently in tune with a promise made by the BJP in its party manifesto for the 2014 general elections as well as for Assam Election 2016.
The party had promised, under the section titled ‘Foreign Relations – Nations First, Universal Brotherhood’, that “India shall remain a natural home for persecuted Hindus and they shall be welcome to seek refuge here.”
While the original Citizenship Act of 1955 had denied granting of citizenship to undocumented migrants and stamped any foreigner who entered India without a valid passport or travel document or who stayed beyond the permitted time, as an illegal migrant, this amendment seeks to allow citizenship to undocumented migrants of all faiths, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians but except Muslims from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
