SC HEARING ON CAA
Our case is different from others'... Won't allow Assam to become a second Tripura: Dipanko Kumar Nath
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Referring to the Supreme Court's stand on Wednesday that the apex Court will hear the petitions against CAA from Assam and Tripura separately, the president of All Assam Students' Union (AASU) Dipanko Kumar Nath told The Sentinel here on Thursday, "We welcome the move; we have full faith on the Supreme Court. Our legal fight against CAA will continue."
The AASU leader further said, "Altogether 144 petitions have been filed against CAA in the SC. Though all of them have opposed the CAA yet several of the petitioners at the national level want inclusion of the Muslims and the Tamils also along with the six already notified religious communities — the Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Parsis, and the Buddhists. If the Centre agrees to such a proposition then those petitioners might not have any reservations on the CAA. But AASU's stand is absolutely clear: We will never accept any foreigner belonging to any religion, caste, or community who might have entered Assam after March 25, 1971."
He pointed out, "If the CAA is implemented, its negative impact on Assam in particular and the entire Northeast region in general will be much more in comparison to the other parts of the country. This is primarily because only Assam has already taken the burden of illegal foreigners up to March 25, 1971 which is the cut-off date to identify and deport illegal foreigners according to the Assam Accord. On the other hand, for the rest of the country, the cut-off year is 1951. The people of Assam will not allow any violation of the Assam Accord clauses."
On the influx of illegal foreigners into the State over the years, Nath said, "Such unabated influx has already threatened the original demographic pattern in Assam. Additional burden of foreigners will pose further threats to the land, identities, cultures, and languages of the indigenous people of the State. AASU will not allow Assam to be a second Tripura, where the indigenous people have already been reduced to the status of only second-class citizens."