GUWAHATI: Anti-influx group, Prabajan Virodhi Manch has warned that the indigenous people of Assam would become a minority unless the state enacted a legislation reserving land, government benefits and jobs considering 1951 as the cut-off year.
Manch convener, Upamanyu Hazarika reasoned that if the Manipur Assembly could enact a legislation in July, reserving land, government benefits, employment, etc only for those who were citizens of India in1951 and their progeny, there was no reason why the Assam government couldn’t do the same to protect genuine citizens from Bangladeshi influx.
The Manipur People Act, 2018, will regulate non-Manipuris from entering and exiting the state.
“Recent events in Assam demonstrate that regardless of the outcome of the National Register of Citizens, the
indigenous people can be saved from becoming a minority only if a similar legislation is enacted by Assam Assembly,” Hazarika, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, told reporters here on Tuesday.
Citing instances, he said the state government was leaving no stone unturned in appeasing Bangladeshis and going ahead with recruitment to the posts of gaonbura (village headman) in different districts of Assam.
“In respect of Dhubri, where large scale discrepancies in the NRC process have come to light, with declared and suspected foreigners being included in NRC, the administration is proceeding
with the appointment of 403 gaonburhas (village heads) even before publication of the NRC final list,” Hazarika said.
“Secondly, in Fuhuratoli in Darrang district, a professional grazing reserve officially stated to be under encroachment, the government is building roads for encroachers who are required to be evicted. lt is learnt that the district administration is proceeding with building houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for these encroachers,” he said.
The Manch convener said that unless land, resources, government employment and benefits were reserved for those who were citizens of India in 1951 and their progeny, the indigenous people will become victims of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.
In Manipur, the cut-off date for grant of citizenship is July 19, 1948.
“However Assam has taken the burden of 23 years of illegal migrants, unlike
Manipur and other north eastern states,” he said.