If voted to power, won’t allow CAA in State: APCC President Ripun Bora 

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora has said that if his party is voted to power in the State, it will put pressure on the Centre not to implement the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) in the State and give settlement to those who will get Indian citizenship under the Act elsewhere in the country.

Addressing a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan here on Sunday, Bora said, “The cut-off date – March 25, 1971 – for the detection of foreigners is exclusive for Assam in accordance with the Assam Accord. We don’t want citizenship to any foreigner entering the State after this cut-off date. However, under the CAA there’s another cut-off date – December 31, 2014 – for Hindu Bangladeshis. Is there any guarantee that there’ll be no more religious persecution in the three neighbouring countries? If there are more religious persecution in the neighbouring countries, will we keeping on extending the cut-off date under the CAA? We fear such a possibility in future.” Bora further said, “The government has implemented the CAA without even waiting for the directive from the Supreme Court of India on it. It has also ignored the stiff opposition to the Act in Assam where there’s non-stop agitation against it. We condemn this attitude of the government. We’ll keep opposing the CAA. If we come to power in Assam, we’ll put pressure on the Centre to give settlement to foreigners getting Indian citizenship under the CAA elsewhere in the Country.”

The APCC president said that the Janajagaran Padayatra started by the party in the State is getting response from the people of the State. “The phase I of the padayatra started on December 22, 2019 at Sadia and concluded at Dhubri on January 11, 2020. We’re going to start the second phase on January 20 from Sorupathar and will conclude at Gohpur on January 29. The third phase to be started at Behali on February 13 will conclude at Barpeta on February 21. The fourth phase will be in the hill and the Barak Valley districts. The date of this phase has not been fixed as yet,” he said.

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