GUWAHATI, Dec 20 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) will not lead to any fresh influx from Bangladesh, and only those who had already fled Bangladesh following religious persecution there and have been staying in the State for decades would be able to apply for citizenship as per the amended legislation.
�� and the number of those who would apply for citizenship would be very negligible. Once the process of filing the applications for citizenship is over, the actual list of the claimants would be there for everyone to see. Certain sections are coming up with hypothetical figures, which should not be believed,� Sonowal told media-persons at a press conference, his first after the protests against CAA escalated across the State forcing the State machinery to clamp curfew and suspend Internet services.
In his bid to allay fear and apprehensions, Sonowal asserted, �Not a single Bangladeshi would come to Assam on the strength of the CAA�.
�No one can snatch away the rights of the indigenous people. Assam will always be for the sons of the soil and the Assamese language will continue to remain the State language forever,� he said, reaffirming that there is no threat to the State�s language, culture or identity.
Asked if the CAA could give undue advantage to illegal foreigners since a self-attested document would suffice the criteria of granting citizenship, he replied, �The Rules have not been set as yet.�
The Chief Minister also said that the government is committed to implement the Clause VI of the Assam Accord.
�Clause VI, which seeks to ensure constitutional legislative and administrative safeguards of the indigenous people, is the soul of Assam Accord and the government is committed to implement it. The committee into Clause VI implementation has been asked to submit its recommendations as early as possible,� Sonowal added.
He further informed that the State government is continuously trying to reach out to the protesting groups to bring them to the table for discussion.
�I believe that the issues can be solved only through talks,� he said, adding that invitations have been sent to the protesting groups through the Chief Secretary.
To a question whether the just-published NRC, which detected over 19 lakh illegal migrants, would be a waste, the Chief Minister refused to comment, saying �today let us stick to CAA only�.
He also said that a section of anti-social groups is trying to create disturbances in the State in the guise of anti-CAA protest by spreading misinformation and damaging public property.
�The perpetrators of such ant-social acts are the biggest enemy of the State and would not be spared,� he said.
He also added that Indian Muslims need not fear due to the CAA.
