Citizenship Bill; Make Your Stand Clear, Mahanta Asks Assam Govt

Former chief minister of Assam Prafulla Kumar Mahanta asked the State government to make its stand on the proposed amendment to the Citizenship Bill clear in the greater interest of the people of Assam.

Addressing a press meet organized by the Asom Andolan Sangrami Manch on Friday, Mahanta, who is also the chief advisor of the Manch, said, “All illegal foreigners living in Assam should be deported as per the conditions of the Assam Accord,” adding, “those who came to the State after March 25, 1971 should not be rehabilitated. If these people are rehabilitated, language, culture and literature of the indigenous people will come under grave threat.”

Mahanta said the BJP once supported the Assam Agitation and even its veteran leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee extended his support to the Agitation. All political and social groups also accepted the clauses of the Assam Accord, which was the result of the Assam Agitation, added Mahanta.

“When the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was raised by the then UPA government in the Parliament, the then AGP MPs Kumar Dipak Das and Birendra Prasad Baishya strongly opposed it. But now, the BJP is trying to pass the Bill,” said the former chief minister.

It may be mentioned that the Asom Andolan Sangrami Manch filed a PIL (no. 57/2016) in the Gauhati High Court, seeking total implementation of the Assam Accord. The PIL mainly put stress on the deportation of illegal foreigners from Assam and giving constitutional safeguards to the indigenous people of the State.

The State government filed its affidavit in the Gauhati High Court against the PIL of the Manch, but the Central government has not yet filed its affidavit in the Court, as said by the Manch. In the press meet, ex-MP Kumar Dipak Das, chief convener of the Manch, Barki Prasad Telenga, convener of the Manch, and few others were present.