Assam News

Citizenship Amendment Act will adversely affect SC community: AAJYCS

Sentinel Digital Desk

‘The Bangladeshi Hindus, who have been dwelling in Assam, have availed many privileges in the State by collecting SC certificates’

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: “The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 will bring a dark future to Assam and the contentious Act will affect the Scheduled Caste community adversely most of all.” This apprehension was expressed by Asom Anusuchit Jati Yuva-Chatra Santha (AAJYCS).

In a press release, AAJYCS president Nripen Das and general secretary Nityananda Das stated, “The Bangladeshi Hindus, who have been dwelling in Assam, have availed many privileges in the State by collecting SC certificates. Taking the advantages of the reservation system meant for the SC community, most of the Bangladeshi Hindus have availed the chance to get admitted in medical and engineering colleges and become civil administrative officers or other high officials and even MLA.”

Under such circumstances, the president and the general secretary of the organization declared through the press release that the organization was supporting the anti-CAA agitation and would be extending the same in future. The press release further stated that the CAA would grant many advantages to the Bangladeshi Hindus.

“The Government of India, as per order on the basis of the Government of India Act, 1950 and Article 342 of the Constitution of India, recognised some sub-castes as Scheduled Caste community and declared that these sub-castes, who were mentioned in the National Register of Citizens, 1951, will only get the privileges of the reservation system. Despite such conditions and declaration, how were these Bangladeshi Hindus, who came to Assam in 1965, 1975 and 2014, included in the reserved SC list or will be included?” the leaders of the organization said.

They further said that though the SC bodies, including the AAJYCS, had initiated protest programmes and stir against the Bangladeshis who had been taking advantage of the reservation system meant for the SC community, the successive State governments had not taken any fruitful steps in this regard.

“A massive protest programme was initiated on September 6, 2014 at Dighali Pukhuri in Guwahati against a student named Papu Majumder who was selected by the selection committee for the medical course under SC reserved category. The family of Papu Mazumder, son of Anath Mazumder, living at Lanka in Nagaon district, are citizens of Pakistan. But the family claimed that they came to Assam from Bangladesh in 1965 and collected the refugee card in 1975. Thus the State of Assam has turned into a dumping ground for the Bangladeshis and they have availed the privileges of the reservation system meant for the SC community. They have attracted the attention of political parties by increasing the number of their voters and the political parties with vested interest have worked in favour of them. At present, the attempt of the government at the Centre to grant citizenship to the Bangladeshi Hindus under the provisions of the CAA, will mostly affect the SC community of the State,” the press release added.

The president and the general secretary further declared that AAJYCS would give full support to the anti-CAA agitation initiated across the State by multiple organizations, artistes and the people. “In this regard, the people of the SC community have also supported the agitation and they will extend it in future too. We clearly opine that the people of the State should not be betrayed once again by constituting a new political party,” the duo stated in the press release.