The cauldron of identity politics brewing in Assam is likely to spill over if the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which the Centre is set to introduce in Parliament in the monsoon session, is passed.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who introduced the bill in Parliament in July 19, 2016, seeks to give citizenship by naturalisation to immigrants from three countries –Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan— belonging to six communities—Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian—who faced religious persecution and came to India before December 31, 2014. Such people would be living illegally in the current context of the provisions of the Passport (Entry into India) Act 1920 and the Foreigners Act 1946.
While no feathers have been ruffled in the rest of the country, in Assam, people are up in arms. This is because the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC), which will be released on December 31, has apparently left out the names of 79 lakh people in the state. To become eligible for citizenship, documents regarding the identify proof of a person and those of his/her ancestors prior to March 25, 1971, need to be provided. But in the context of the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, the same provisions become irrelevant for migrants from six religions coming from these three countries. They would be exempted and become citizens by naturalisation.
Opposition to the proposed bill has been growing in Assam on the premise that Hindus from Bangladesh who came to the state would obliterate the culture of local indigenous communities. Various organisations, who have been garnering support to squash the bill, hold the view that Assam will have to shoulder the burden of nearly 20 lakh Hindu Bangladeshis once the bill is passed.
Besides, the bill proposes to reduce the number of years—from eleven to six—required to live in India to obtain citizenship by naturalisation. This could further be relaxed as persecuted people from the three Muslim countries have nowhere to go. Also, the amendment to section 6A of the current act would be of paramount importance so that these communities are exempted from its provisions—the term ‘Bangladesh’ is in section 6A.
Firebrand Assamese farmer leader and adviser to the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity ( KMSS) Akhil Gogoi termed the bill as a ploy of the ruling BJP government to turn Assam into a Hindu Rashtra by rolling out the red carpet to Hindu migrants from Bangladesh.
The proposed bill has put the BJP chief minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal and the government’s coalition partner the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on the mat. Across the state, the refrain is the same—“people who love Assam should quit in protest of the notorious bill”.
“ It is very unfortunate that Sarbananda Sonowal, who once led a movement against foreigners as the All Assam Students Union (AASU) president, is now speaking in favour of the bill,” said Palash Changmai, general secretary of the Assam Jatiya Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP). He added that voting the BJP-led coalition to power was a “historic blunder”.
Akhil Gogoi appealed to the AGP to pull out of the ruling coalition in Assam over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The BJP formed the state government in 2016 with support from the AGP and the BPF (Bodo Peoples Front).
Meanwhile, the AGP has threatened to pull out from the coalition if the Narendra Modi government goes ahead and passes the bill in Parliament, as it poses a major threat to the identity of the indigenous people.
