GUWAHATI, Oct 25 - Reacting to the ongoing controversy triggered by the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, AGP founder president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on Tuesday asserted that the Assam Accord that clearly states 1971 as the cutoff year for detection of all illegal foreigners, whether Hindu or Muslim, must be implemented in letter and spirit.
Addressing media persons here, the former Chief Minister slammed alliance partner BJP and the Congress and accused both the parties of playing politics with the issue keeping in mind the vote bank factor.
Mahanta warned that any move by the Government of India to grant citizenship to foreigners violating the Assam Accord will be opposed vehemently.
�If the Government of India is genuinely interested in granting citizenship to those displaced persons belonging to religious minority communities of Bangladesh, then it should take into confidence all the stakeholders and try to understand the problems which may be faced by Assam if at all citizenship is granted to those persons coming from Bangladesh,� said Mahanta insisting that the Government of India take up the matter of a repatriation treaty with Bangladesh at the earliest.
Mahanta pointed out that Assam can no more bear the burden of foreigners and the Government of India must realise it.
�Considering the current population pattern, Assam is not capable of taking any further burden. This issue should not be politicised on the basis of religion or language,� said Mahanta, pointing out that the problem of influx of religious minorities into India be declared a national problem.
