As widespread protests rock Assam and other northeast States over the Citizenship Amendment Bill, Home Minister Rajnath Singh will convene a meeting of the Chief Ministers of these States, a Home Ministry official said.
The Minister will discuss measures to protect the region’s cultural and linguistic identity.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 that seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, who entered India before December 31, 2014, has been passed by the Lok Sabha. It is likely to be tabled in the Budget Session in the Rajya Sabha.
Assam Accord
The Bill has sparked several protests across Assam as it negates the 1985 Assam Accord, that fixed the cut-off date for migrants from Bangladesh to March 24,1971.
Recently, former IAS officer M.P Bezbaruah and four eminent personalities, who were named by the Centre to head a committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, wrote to Home Ministry expressing their inability to be part of the panel. A Home Ministry official said the government was assessing the situation.
“The Union Home Minister will soon be calling a meeting of Chief Ministers of the concerned States. They will further discuss the safeguards that need to be provided for protecting the interests of these States and protecting their cultural and linguistic identity,” the Home Ministry said in a statement.
It said a delegation from Assam, led by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, met Mr. Singh in New Delhi on Saturday.
‘Not country-specific’
Mr. Singh said while introducing the Bill in Lok Sabha on January 8, he had made it abundantly clear that the Bill was not meant for the individuals belonging to six minority community who had come from one particular country.
“It is also not meant for individuals who are living in one particular State. At the same time, it is a fact that Assam has borne the disproportionate burden of migration due to religious persecution in our neighbouring countries,” the statement said.
“They [Assam delegation] discussed issues related to safeguards for preserving the cultural and linguistic identity and heritage of Assam and implementation of Clause-6 of the Assam Accord and issues related to grant of tribal status to six communities,” the statement said.
Representatives of Bodo groups, including the Bodoland Territorial Council chief Hagrama Muhilary, Chandan Brahma, Minister from BPF in the State government and Biswajit Daimary, MP also met the Union Home Minister over the weekend .
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh also met Mr. Singh along with Manipur BJP president and Rajya Sabha member K. Bhabananda Singh on Saturday.