Lakhimpur AJYCP demands repeal of Citizenship Amendment Act

LAKHIMPUR: Following the government’s decision to prevent referring cases of foreigners who came to Assam before December 31, 2014, to the Foreigners Tribunal under the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), fresh protest programmes against the controversial Act continues in Lakhimpur district. The Government of Assam, through a notification, recently asked the state police to stop forwarding the cases of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians - who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan before December 31, 2014, and are now seeking Indian citizenship - to the Foreigners’ Tribunal in the state. The letter, signed by secretary to the Government of Assam (Home and Political Departments) Partha Pratim Majumdar and sent to special director general of police (Border) in Assam Harmeet Singh, informed the police that they may maintain a separate register for such cases and people if needed.

On Thursday, the Lakhimpur district unit of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva-Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) resorted to a protest programme demanding the withdrawal of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). In this connection, the members of the organization, led by president Hiranya Dutta, general secretary Arun Gogoi, initiated a two-hour long sit-in in front of the District Commissioner’s office. During the demonstration, the president and the secretary reiterated that AJYCP has been opposing the Act since the beginning and the organization never accepted it under any circumstances. In support of their stand, the protesters shouted number of slogans against the Act and slammed the incumbent governments at the centre and in the state regarding the issue. By initiating the protest programme, the organization submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Lakhimpur District Commissioner. In the memorandum, the Lakhimpur district unit of AJYCP said that the Assamese community, which has been under the threat of existence after the passing of the CAA, will once be in the verge of extinction in the native land. “This is because if CAA comes into force, foreigners will get citizenship in India in a large scale and this will cause massive changes in the demographic scenario of Assam. It will also increase the number of Bengali speaking people in Assam. Most of the states in India were formed on linguistic basis. Assam is also a language-based state. Even the greater Assamese community is formed on the basis of language. After the enforcement of the CAA, Assam will become a Bengali-speaking state on the basis of linguistic majority. With the apprehension of such a terrible future, the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva-Chatra Parishad, various ethnic groups and organizations of Assam along with all the indigenous people of the state have been opposing this anti-Assamese Act and demanding its repeal through democratic protests,” the memorandum said.

Through the memorandum, the Lakhimpur AJYCP demanded the Prime Minister to take effective measures to repeal the Act immediately by respecting the demands of the Assamese people. “Otherwise, the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva-Chatra Parishad will be forced to launch a massive mass movement with the support of the people of Assam,” the memorandum added.

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