'Citizenship Amendment Bill atonement for Partition,' Modi vows to pass law in Assam rally despite opposition from allies in state

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is an atonement for the past mistakes of Partition, said Narendra Modi in Assam’s Silchar even as local leadership and BJP’s own allies in state warned the party against regional sensibilities being affected if such a law comes into force.

Modi arrived at Silchar in Cachar district from Imphal as a part of his first phase of poll campaigning, wherein he is scheduled to address rallies in 20 states in 100 days before the model code of conduct comes into force.

Flagging off BJP’s Lok Sabha poll campaign in the North East, he told the Vijay Sankalp Rally at Kalinagar near Silchar that he is aware of the problems and concerns of the people here but the BJP-led NDA government will move ahead with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to atone for the injustices met out to non-Muslims in the past.

“It (the bill) is linked to emotions and related to peoples’ lives. It is not for the benefit of anyone but a penance for the injustices done in the past,” he said.

He continued, “Where will a persecuted person anywhere in the world having faith in Mother India go? Does the colour of the passport matter only and not any blood relation? The country was partitioned, people believed in those who divided it and some stayed back for the love of their land and home but their hopes and aspirations were crushed.”

“Will Mother India not embrace them under such circumstances? Will their cries not be heard? Mistakes may have been made in the past during Partition - I do not want to dwell on those but penance for past injustice is necessary,” he said.

The Citizenship Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955. It seeks to grant citizenship to people from minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh after six years of residence in India instead of 12 even if they do not possess any proper documentation.

It has been opposed by a large section of people and organisations in the North East saying it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord which had fixed 24 March, 1971 as the cut off date for deportation of all illegal immigrants irrespective of religion.

The political aim behind the bill seems to target the majority Hindu population in the Lok Sabha, but it faces widespread opposition from the northeastern states primarily because the fault line dividing demography in these states is linguistic and cultural, rather than religious. Thus, the Assamese-speaking people, or the Gorkhas in neighbouring northeastern states, are less than enthusiastic hosts to the large number of Bengalis who have crossed over to India, regardless of whether they are from West Bengal or East Bengal/East Pakistan/Bangladesh, or whether they are Muslims or Hindus. BJP leaders also accept that widespread consultation was needed to reach a consensus on the issue.

Modi, however, said that the bill was brought in 2016 after deep thinking and long discussions. “I hope that the bill will be passed as soon as possible in Parliament. There is immense responsibility on those having faith in Mother India to keep in mind the interest of all concerned”.

However, hours after prime minister’s statement, two prominent organisations in Assam reacted strongly and urged the people of the state to defeat the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha polls. The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) bringing in the bill is “undemocratic and unconstitutional”.

Reiterating that the Assam Accord of 1985 be implemented in toto, both the AASU and the KMSS said they will launch an agitation against the proposed move. The AASU said it will start a legal battle as well if the bill is passed by Parliament. “The BJP has cheated and betrayed the people of Assam. This bill will harm the secular fabric of the Constitution,” AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi told PTI.

The prime minister’s speech proved that the BJP does not give any importance and respect to the people living in a federal structure or their voice, he added. The AASU has been protesting against the bill and saying it cannot be accepted. “Still, the BJP is moving ahead autocratically and undemocratically. “My request at this time is that people of Assam should teach a lesson to the BJP,” Gogoi said.

The state has a BJP-led government since 2016 and the party has recently won  42 percent of the total seats in state panchayat elections. The party and its allies are targeting to win 11 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats this time.

Continuing his attack on the saffron party, the student union leader said in 2014 when the Modi government came to power, the BJP had promised to send back all illegal Bangladeshis. “But now they are being welcomed only for votes.”

Earlier, Asom Gana Parishad, a BJP ally in Assam, too had threatened to intensify its agitation against the Bill and snap its electoral alliance with the Hindutva party.

Congress’ Assam unit also took a similar view on the matter accusing BJP of trying to divide Assam on the basis of language and religion.  State Congress president Ripun Bora told reporters that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not know what it wants, as the implementation of the Assam Accord and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, cannot be done simultaneously. “Modi came today to divide Assam on religious and linguistic lines. He wants to bring Hindu Bangladeshis to Assam only for vote-bank politics,” Bora said.

Bora said the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) for the bill would submit its report on Monday, a day before the Winter Session of the Parliament is scheduled to end.

“In one day, nobody can prepare a bill, discuss and pass it in both Houses of Parliament. It proves that Modi cannot pass the bill now. They (BJP) are just seeking votes by indirectly saying, ‘if you (people) vote for us (BJP), then the bill will be passed by the next BJP-led government’,” he added.

On 31 December, all amendments to the bill moved by the Opposition in the JPC, headed by BJP MP Rajendra Agrawal, were defeated.

With inputs from agencies