From Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI: “The Assamese Community in London are deeply concerned because of the threat posed by the Indian Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. If the Bill passes through, it will have a serious implication on the people of Assam regarding the demography, culture and the Assamese language. Our identity are at threat and our safety as an NRA (Non-Resident Assamese),” states a statement emailed on behalf of the community by Rini Kakati.
The memorandum submitted recently by the Assamese community in London to the High Commissioner states: “The people who are not Indian citizen ( Non Indians) are not covered by the constitution of India. If a large number of vulnerable refugees from Bangladesh need to be given Indian Citizenship, then these refugees should be settled by the central Government all over India, not in Assam only.”
“There is a strong probability that a significant beneficiary of this amendment would be Bangladeshi Hindus who would immigrate to Assam .This will endanger the very existence of Assamese Culture and Assamese Identity. No other state faces such a risk and therefore those states are indifferent to this development.
The community has objected to the citizenship amendment bill 2016 based on the following reasons: The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 breaches the fundamental principle of the Indian Constitution in Article 14 which declares India as a sovereign, secular, democratic republic assuring its citizens justice and equality within the territory of India and prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste sex or place of birth within India or any of them.
If a significant portion of Bangladeshi Hindu refugees entering into India are given permanent settlement in Assam the demography of Assam, Assamese language and Assamese culture face a great identity crisis. If for humanitarian reasons these refugees escaping persecution need to be settled in India, they should be proportionately distributed to all the Indian States and Union Territories and not just in Assam.
Based on Assam accord, at the intervention of the Supreme Court of India and on the instruction of the Central Government , Government of Assam is engaged in intensive updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to include people permanently residing in the state till March 24, 1971 and to treat only those people as genuine citizens of the country.
Under Assam Accord, the state has already agreed to absorb an alarmingly large number of foreign nationals that had entered Assam illegally until March 1971.
The present attempt of the Government of India to extend citizenship beyond the cut-off date of March 24, 1971 is unacceptable. The state of Assam is already overburdened with high influx of foreign nationals from Bangladesh, causing serious economic and social distress and identity crisis for the indigenous communities of Assam.
Under these circumstances, the proposed amendment poses a serious threat to the existence of Assam as a state of unique cultural and linguistic entity in Independent India.
The Assamese Community in London states that it has joined hands with the other global organisations of Assamese communities notably Global Assam Association to press for actions to safeguard the legitimate interests of the indigenous people of Assam.
