GUWAHATI, Aug 8 - The State government has not yet received any information from the Centre regarding Assam�s role in giving shelter to the religious minorities from the neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, as proposed in the amendment to the Citizenship Act.
Replying to a question by former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta during Question Hour on whether the Government of Assam should convey its reservation to the Central government against any further burden of immigrants to the State, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary told the House that no such proposal has come from the Union government yet on the matter.
�If any such proposal comes from the Centre on whether Assam will have to take the burden, it can be put up for debate and discussion. The Citizenship Amendment Bill has been tabled in the Lok Sabha, but it is yet to be passed, hence, cannot be discussed. Moreover, the Bill proposes to make the religious minorities, who fled their countries fearing religious persecution, apply for Indian citizenship. It is a long process and this will be a national law, not specific only to Assam,� he added.
Mahanta had also asked about the status of the existing illegal migrants, and whether the Government of Assam would oppose the move of the Centre to settle any migrants of Bangladesh in Assam who migrated after the cut-off date, and also whether the State government would press for implementation of the Assam Accord in letter and spirit, that would alleviate the fear of threat to the existence of the indigenous people. He also said that Assam would be worst hit due to the amendment to the Citizenship Act.
Patowary in his reply stated that despite the laws like Foreigners Act, Citizenship Act, Passport Act, Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, the problem of illegal migration was not solved due to a lack of timely action. �Had the previous governments taken right steps in time, the issue would not have deteriorated so much,� he said, adding that the Accord would also be implemented on the basis of existing laws.
