SILCHAR, June 7 � The Citizens� Rights Preservation Committee (CRPC), Assam has welcomed the decision of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee on the issue of granting citizenship to the Bengali Hindus and other communities who migrated to Assam following persecution since partition.
In a release issued to the media, Bidhayak Das Purkayastha, general secretary, CRPC said that even after the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru in his message to the countrymen on August 15, 1947 said, �There is no doubt, of course, that those displaced persons who have come to settle in India are bound to have their citizenship. If the law is inadequate in this respect, the law should be changed.�
The Congress party took 67 years to admit publicly the fact that the victims of partition should be given the status of citizenship in India, which is really unfortunate, he said, adding that the national party has failed to convert commitments made by the other national leaders of the party into reality.
�Although it is too late, it is appreciable that they have realised the severity of the burning problem, which has been the demand of the CRPC as well since its inception,� Das Purkayastha said.
Reminding the party that promises are made to be kept and not to be broken, Das Purakayastha asked the Congress party to materialise their decision into reality. He also mentioned that the people are fed up with false promises of the politicians, who always remain busy in politicising the burning and sensational issues without finding out concrete steps of settlement.
As the present Central Government is also of the opinion of granting citizenship status to the partition victims, so they should join hands with the ruling party and try to implement the Article 253 of the Indian Constitution which states that � �Parliament has power to make any law for the whole or any part of the territory of India.�
It is also to be mentioned that Article 11 of the Constitution empowers the Parliament to make any provision with respect to the acquisition and termination of citizenship. Further, according to Article 368, the Parliament of India is the only competent body to undertake enactments made to give effect to any international agreement and such enactments are not to be referred to the states for ratification.
Das Purkayastha appealed to all other national political parties of India to make their stand clear on this issue and rise above cheap, narrow politics and frame out an amicable solution on the floor of the Parliament through legislation.
