Masses must pressurize MLAs to bring Assam out of CAA ambit: Upamanyu Hazarika

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: “To put pressure on the Centre for bringing out Assam from the ambit of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the MLAs of the State must immediately take a resolution in the State Assembly. And in this regard, the support of 64 legislators will suffice to pass the resolution.” Making this appeal to the State lawmakers while addressing the media here on Saturday, Prabajan Virodhi Manch convenor Upamanyu Hazarika, however, squarely blamed the political leaders of the State for failing to protect the interests of the indigenous people during the last four decades. Urging the masses to pressurise the various leaders of the society for taking up all issues confronting the indigenous people, Hazarika said, “Our agitations must be more result-oriented”.

Pointing out that “all the north-eastern States barring Assam have been exempted from the CAA only for the reason that they have legal regimes in place which reserve resources for the indigenous”, Hazarika stressed, “Similar legislations in Assam reserving land, employment, trade licenses etc only for those who were citizens in 1951 or prior thereto and their progeny will also take Assam out of the ambit of CAA as the newly granted citizens will not be able to avail of such rights over resources in Assam. The power to pass such legislations vests in the State Assembly and the local MLA should be pressurized to enable such legislations.”

Hazarika added, “The indigenous people of Assam have been agitating for their rights since 1970; however, the section that has benefitted from these protests is that of the illegal foreigners. The necessity is to direct and translate the mass energy generated towards achieving the goal of protecting the indigenous people in Assam.”

He added, “The indigenous protests, the migrant benefits without protesting; the illegal Muslim enters into the National Register of Citizens (NRC) by subversion and the left-out Hindu migrant becomes a citizen through the CAA.”

Alleging that “the NRC in its present form will ensure that the indigenous people become a minority before 2040”, Hazarika reiterated the organization’s demand for “100% reverification of the recently concluded NRC in Assam”.

Dwelling on the controversy over the cut-off year to identify illegal foreigners, he said that “1951 should be the base year”. He also asked “the AGP, BJP and the AASU to review their stand on this issue”.

Hazarika added, “The Central and State Governments should reverse their stand on supporting Citizenship by Birth to all children born of foreigners until December 3, 2004.

The organization also demanded eviction of all encroachers from Forest, Grazing Reserves, and Government land across the State.

“These are the issues on which every indigenous person/organisation in Assam should pressurise their elected representatives and leaders to act and implement. The need of the time is to spread awareness and understanding of the above agenda and force the elected representatives to act accordingly,” Hazarika stressed.

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