Oppn in Assam strongly opposes implementation of CAA post Union Minister’s statement

Guwahati, Nov 28: A day after Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra made a statement anticipating the completion of the final draft of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by March 30 next year, opposition parties in Assam vehemently responded and expressed their intent to oppose any government efforts to enforce the Act.

As per reports, Mishra, while speaking to the Matua community in West Bengal stated that the final draft of the CAA is anticipated to be ready in March and that the process of implementing it has gathered momentum. "Nobody can snatch citizenship rights from Matuas, who had fled religious persecution in Bangladesh,” Mishra was quoted as saying.

Reacting sharply to the comments made by the Union Minister, opposition leaders in Assam said that any attempt to enact an "unconstitutional" law that violates the terms of the 1985 Assam Accord will not be tolerated by the people of the state.

Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia stated that Congress opposes the CAA as it contradicts the Assam Accord, which sets the deadline for identifying undocumented foreigners in the state as March 25, 1971.

Congress leader Abdul Khaleque criticised the BJP government for allegedly attempting to bring Hindus to India under the pretext of religious persecution. He further urged the Centre to put pressure on Bangladesh to protect its Hindu population from persecution, preventing their migration to India.

Chairman of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) Lurinjyoti Gogoi, asserted that the state's citizens won't tolerate the "unconstitutional" CAA and that Assam is not prepared to bear further external burdens.