Centre to finalise Citizenship bill after consultation with all stakeholders: Rajnath Singh

During a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in New Delhi, Rajnath Singh said that, the bill would be finalised and placed before parliament after consulting with all stakeholders.

“Centre is not hurry to place the bill before parliament,” the Union Home minister said.

Various political parties, non-political organisations, the indigenous people of Assam have opposed the bill and saying that it would threaten the existence of the indigenous people of the state.

The bill proposes to grant citizenship to the illegal migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who entered India upto December 31

Recently (May 7-10), 16-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) led by BJP MP Rajendra Agarwala had visited Assam and Meghalaya and took public hearing.

Over 350 organisations in Assam had submitted their written notes to the Committee.

In Brahmaputra valley, maximum organisations have registered their opinions against the bill, while most of the organisations in Barak valley supported the bill and demanded to grant citizenship to the Hindu Bangladeshi.

Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an ally party of the BJP-led Assam coalition government, All Assam Students Union (AASU) said that, the contents of the bill seek to dilute clauses of the Assam Accord signed in 1985 after 6-year Assam agitation and the indigenous people of Assam will not agree any foreigner irrespective of their faith to be granted citizenship.

In Meghalaya, the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government has already decided to oppose the bill as the MDA government cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had taken decision to oppose the bill.

The meeting was held to review administrative and security arrangements related to updating of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in presence of the Union Home minister, Assam CM, Assam DGP, Chief Secretary, ADGP (SB) and other top officials of MHA.

On the other hand, the Union Home minister assured Sonowal to provide adequate measures ahead of the final NRC draft publication.

The final NRC draft will be published on June 30 this year.

On Tuesday, Assam’s Principal Home Secretary LS Changsan and DGP Kuladhar Saikia, ADGP (SB) Pallab Bhattacharya met officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi and discussed about the security scenario ahead of final NRC draft publication.

A top source said that, 80 additional companies of central forces will be deployed in Assam ahead of the final NRC draft publication.

Rajnath Singh further said that, the Centre will constitute a special committee to implement Clause 6 of Assam Accord.

Assam Accord was signed in 1985 after six years long Assam movement against illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

According to the Clause 6 of Assam Accord, constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

In Assam, apprehensions are being raised that granting citizenship to Hindu Bengalis from Bangladesh will adversely affect the culture, language and tradition of the state.

The section 6A in the Citizenship Act, 1955 contains the provisions with respect to citizenship of persons covered by the Assam Accord (1985).

This section was introduced through an amendment made in 1985, in the Citizenship Act, 1955.

The section 6A of the act says that all those who came to Assam on or after January 1, 1966, but before March 24, 1971 from the specified territory (it includes all territories of Bangladesh at the time of commencement of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 1985), and since then are residents of Assam, must register themselves under section-18 for citizenship.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)