NJ Thakuria 18 February 2019
As if the people of the northeast (NE) India became more conscious about
India’s constitution, rule of law and its secular image abroad.
So groups of people, including politicians, civil society group
representatives, media personnel etc came to hit the streets raising
strong voices against the Union government’s proposed citizenship
amendment initiatives.
The move by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to grant
citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian
refugees from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan ignited a firestorm
in the region. The tide against the government was prompted by the
arising apprehensions among northeastern indigenous people that they
would lose their due rights after it got realized.
The region, which has the history of separatist movements by various
militant groups, even observed a Bandh (total shut down) on 8 January
2019 protesting against New Delhi based central government’s adamant
attitude to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 in Lok Sabha,
the lower house of Indian Parliament.
The much talked CAB was scheduled to table in Rajya Sabha (upper house
of Parliament) on 13 February to get it finally enacted as a law after
necessary endorsements from the President of India. But at the last
moment, the BJP led NDA government avoided placing it and seemingly
left the bill to die a natural death.
Reasons, may be the BJP could not garner necessary supports from the
opposition parties or it faced an uproarious situation in various
parts of the region, but it brought smiles to thousands of agitators
and many of them celebrated the occasion as an achievement. They
organized series of press briefings to extend their gratitude to the
common people and definitely never forget to claim their credits.
Oppositions to the amendment initiative surfaced as the Indian
citizenship cannot (must not) be conferred on the basis of religion
because it is a secular country. Otherwise it would go against the
spirit of the constitution of world’s largest democracy.
The other view was that Assam had already taken the extra burden of
illegal migrants (read Bangladeshi nationals from 1951 to 1971) in
contrast to national cut-off year (’51) because of an agreement signed
in 1985 between the leaders of historic Assam Movement and the Union
government in New Delhi. Hence agitators from the State’s Brahmaputra
valley vehemently opposed the proposal.
Guwahati on 23 January witnessed an impressive rally which was
organized by All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) along with 30 indigenous
groups to oppose the bill. The rally attracted over 3,000 strong
gathering from different parts of the region taking pledge not to
allow New Delhi to pass it. By the evening, Krishak Mukti Sangram
Samity (KMSS) along with 70 other local bodies organized a torchlight
procession in the city streets.
But perhaps not everyone was convinced with the arguments of agitators
as a massive public meeting in the outskirt of Guwahati showed a
different picture. Addressing the gathering of over hundred thousand
audiences at Changsari locality under Kamrup district on 9 February,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that the concerned bill would
be honoured.
The spectacular congregation applaused PM Modi when he termed the
initiative as a moral responsibility for the centre to support the
asylum seekers from the Muslim dominated Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Bangladesh who had fled their countries of origin because of religious
persecutions there.
Anti-CAB protests gained momentum since the Joint Parliamentary
Committee (JPC) on the matter came to Guwahati last year for public
hearings. A number of indigenous organizations, local politicians,
intellectuals, media personalities etc assembled on the venue and
raised their voices against the bill.
However, the subsequent hearing at Silchar in Barak valley witnessed a
different picture as most of the organizations supported the
initiative. Even people of the valley were reluctant to join in the
anti-bill protests, when Lok Sabha passed the bill on 8 January.
BJP’s Assam ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) pulled out of the
government in Dispur as its leaders, most of whom were once AASU
members, claimed that the proposed amendment would challenge the Assam
accord, signed by the agitators with the Centre in presence of the
then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, after culmination of the six-year
long Assam agitation.
Soon anti-CAB protests were joined by Meghalaya chief minister Conrad
Sangma. Later Mizoram chief minister Zoram Thanga, Manipur government Chief N Biren Singh, Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu also came out opposing the bill. Sangma later took the lead to organize various
local political parties of the region to stand against it.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had however continued
supporting the move arguing that it would not affect the region.
Remaining silent over the matter for months, Sonowal started making
voluminous public comments that the Centre’s new initiatives would
only benefit the locals in the long run.
Strong arguments were put by Assam’s outspoken minister Himanta B
Sarma as he asserted that the initiative would safeguard the Assamese
population. Expressing serious concern over the aggressive mentality
of Bangladeshi Muslim settlers, Sarma claimed that the initiative
would prevent Assam from becoming another Kashmir.
However, an eminent human rights activist argued that the proposed
amendment would have neither change the status quo on ground nor does
it allay long-standing concerns over the issue of refugees. Suhas
Chakma, who hails from Tripura, also added that vociferous support or
strident opposition to the bill was politically motivated.
Interacting with Guwahati based scribes, the New Delhi based rights
activist asserted that the bill had not introduced any new element
whatsoever as it proposed only to reduce the waiting period of
submitting applications for citizenship via naturalization from 11
years to 6 years.
“So it would make no difference as those who had come to India by 2007
can now apply for citizenship. If the bill is duly processed, the
asylum seekers could apply with the documents of 2012. Otherwise,
their turn will come in 2023 in due course,” stated Suhas adding that
anti-CAB rows would help nobody to pretend to be patriots.