Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma once again lashed out at the leaders of the opposition- Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and Raijor Dal for allegedly spreading misinformation about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state.
Addressing a gathering for election campaigning, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that opposition leaders such as Raijor Dal MLA of Sibsagar assembly constituency, Akhil Gogoi, and AJP candidate for Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, incited fear among the Assamese people by disseminating false information and rumours about CAA.
CM Sarma added that such leaders will not be allowed to go scott-free.
In reference to Akhil Gogoi’s statement, made during the anti-CAA protest in Assam, that approximately 2 crore Hindus from Bangladesh would be able to enter Assam and the Northeast, posing a serious threat to both states should the CAA be implemented, Chief Minister Sarma questioned the number of Hindus from Bangladesh who have entered in the region till now.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Everyone will be held accountable for their statement.”
He further said that the Ship, of course, is the poll symbol of the AJP, but the AJP ship sunk the moment its top leader joined hands with the Congress.
CAA was passed by the Parliament on December 11, 2019 resulting in protests and intense debate across different parts of the country.
CAA, 2019 amended the Citizenship Act of 1955. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill received the President’s nod on December 12, 2019. CAA was notified in January 2020, but the Rules were not notified.
The 2019 CAA amended the Citizenship Act of 1955 allowing Indian citizenship for Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities who fled from the neighbouring Muslim-majority countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014 due to “religious persecution or fear of religious persecution”. The Act does not include Muslims.
