GUWAHATI, May 7 - The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) in its 12-page submission before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) today vehemently opposed the proposed Citizenship Amendment Act, stating that the move would make the indigenous and Assamese-speaking communities of the State minorities and ultimately refugees in their homeland.
�The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is a threat to the very identity and existence of the people of Assam. It also negates the secular tenets of the Constitution of India and hence can neither be acceptable nor legally tenable. In no way can religion be the basis of citizenship and the Constitution is specific about that. The Bill is unconstitutional,� Gogoi told media persons at the venue of JPC hearing.
Pointing out that India was a federal democratic republic and that the recent times have witnessed all concerned laying more emphasis on strengthening the federal features of the republic for preserving the diverse ethos of the country, Gogoi said that the move of the BJP government was in stark contrast of India�s federal structure and plural features.
�What the BJP is doing is to impose its unitary will on the people of Assam. The people will not be cowed down by such intimidatory and dictatorial tactics. The whole of Assam will rise in unison to protest the unwarranted move,� he said.
Referring to the ongoing NRC updating exercise, Gogoi said the exercise which was aimed at distinguishing the illegal foreigners from Indian citizens would be nullified by the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which seeks to grant Indian citizenship to Hindu and other non-Muslim illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
Gogoi further said that it was shocking that the BJP which had come to power in Assam by promising to oust the illegal Bangladeshis should now be betraying the electorate by according a red carpet welcome to the illegal Hindu Bangladeshi migrants.
�Assam cannot accommodate illegal Bangladeshi migrants � whether Hindu or Muslim. The BJP is doing this to boost its vote bank and polarize society on religious lines. We will not let this happen,� he said.
