It pains me and every single person who lives in Assam, speaks Assamese, writes in Assamese, eats Assamese meals, and loves the culture of Assam, that our birthplace and our motherland is facing a very serious situation due to the CAB. I, and every fellow Assamese, do not wish that this Bill should become an Act. We fear that the number of immigrants in Assam will increase in great numbers and our culture will be overwhelmed. This will also put more pressure on the depleting resources. There already is an abundance of graduates in the State facing unemployment. Unsurprisingly, students in various districts of Assam are protesting, and these demonstrations will grow only get bigger.
Diksha Deka,
Sonitpur, Assam
The CAB’s very nature has caused the North-Eastern States to protest against it. The Bill has offered citizenship to members of certain minority communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, without specifying what proof or document will be required to support their claims. The Bill aroused greater suspicion after the non-inclusion of many Bengali Hindus in Assam’s National Register of Citizens. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is perhaps attempting to create a vote bank out of these immigrants rather than protecting them. It looks like communities apart from Hindus are included in the CAB only to avoid making it appear too arbitrary. It is also to be noted that the violence that has gripped the region, especially Assam, has been ignored by the Centre. The government must think about the welfare of all citizens of the country, including those in the North-Eastern States. We need to protect our people and our Constitution.
Reakor Shisha Kharkrang,
Upper Shillong, Meghalaya
