Assam’s Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that around five lakh Bengali Hindus, whose names were excluded in the final NRC list, will be granted citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill if the bill manages to get passed by the Upper House of the Parliament.
The statement came amidst the ongoing protests happening in the Northeast states against the CAB.
On Monday while interacting with journalists, Sarma presented a list of over two lakh Bengali Hindus, who have been living in 9 of the 34 districts of Assam, are “eligible to attain citizenship,” reported The Times of India.
Sarma believes that out of the five lakh Bengali Hindus, three to four lakh will apply for citizenship under the amended law. “There are about one lakh people who didn’t apply for the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Taking these figures together, I think not more than five lakh of them will apply for citizenship,” he said.
Sarma also lashed out on the All India United Democratic Fund (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal. “The CAB will help stabilize Assam’s population or else, power will go to (Lok Sabha member) Badruddin Ajmal,” he said, quoted by The New Indian Express.
He further added, “Kamrup (metro) and Hojai districts each have about 60,000 eligible Bengali Hindus, which is the highest among all the districts.” Also, in Hojai, 60,000 Muslims have been excluded from NRC. The district is the birthplace of Badruddin Ajmal.
Pointing out the rising Muslim population in Assam, Sarma criticized Samujjal Bhattacharya — Chief Advisor of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) — for his silence on the issue. “They (AASU) have already accepted that Ajmal will be the Chief Minister of Assam one day. However, we will not allow that to happen,” Sarma said.
Moreover, on emphasizing the need to sustain a Hindu civilization in India, Sarma said, “There was Hindu civilisation in India and it will always be there. Only Hindu civilisation can ensure secularism. No non-Hindus had to migrate to Pakistan (from India).”
The Finance Minister asked the protestors to stop worrying as Clause 6 of the Assam Accord will safeguard the interests of the indigenous Assamese. “The people should not be afraid of the CAB. Through the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, the interests of the Assamese and other indigenous people will be protected. We want the high-powered committee of Clause 6 to submit its report early,” he said.
The AASU, on the other hand, has said that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is working against the interests of the state. “We had high hopes from JD(U), Shiv Sena and BJD for thwarting CAB in the parliament. Last time we were successful in resisting the govt. from passing the bill in Rajya Sabha. This time more than blaming the JD(U), Shiv Sena, we are offended by the pro-CAB stand of our Chief Minister and his party leaders who are going against the people of Assam,” Sarma added.
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