The hard-earned peace of Assam sits on a knife’s edge with the surge in the intensity of protests against the Act. The law has already resulted in loss of life and property and deterioration of law and order across the Northeast, but particularly in Assam. The apprehensions and fears of the people of Assam are genuine and, hence, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise was necessitated by the Supreme Court. Instead of pursuing the next phase of the NRC exercise, which is deletion and deportation of ‘foreigners’, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government introduced a new step. Undoubtedly, the Centre is not sincere when it comes to resolving the ‘foreigner problem’ in Assam. Granting citizenship to immigrants of minority communities from Bangladesh will open up the floodgates for similar measures and overwhelm the indigenous population. This will also add more pressure to Assam’s shrinking resources and invite conflicts between communities.
Himangka Kaushik,
New Delhi
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Assam went through the torture inflicted by the NRC and the exercise came to a conclusion and was accepted by all. Now, the government, by bringing the law, has moved the goalpost. Assurances by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister ring hollow. When special status has been granted to other States in the Northeast, why not give a similar status to Assam?
D.M. Mohunta,
Chennai
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