CITIZENSHIP Bill Intends To Grant Citizenship to 20 Lakh Hindu Bangladeshis in Assam Changing The State’s Demography, Says Farmers’ Leader

KRISHAK Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS)  is vociferously opposing The Citizenship (Amendment ) Bill, 2016 pending for Rajya Sabha’s  approval claiming  that about 2 million Hindu Bangladeshis will  become Indians if the controversial Bill is approved by Parliament. It has been endorsed by the Lok Sabha .The bill intends to grant citizenship to non-Misaims who have migrated from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Speaking to media at Guwahati on Friday, KMSS Adviser Akhil Gogoi condemned the BJP-led Government for attempting   to get the Bill passed despite widespread protests across the North East.”The BJP and Himanta Biswa Sarma claim that only eight lakh Hindu Bangladeshis, who are already staying in Assam, will get citizenship. But our assessment is that 20 lakh people are present in Assam at this moment and they will get citizenship as soon as the Bill is passed,” he added. Gogoi, who is also an RTI activist, said that a report of former Assam Governor Lt Gen S K Sinha had mentioned that over one crore people have entered India.”When I met former Assam Assembly Deputy Speaker Dilip Kumar Paul, who is from BJP, he said around 15-20 lakh Hindu Bangladeshis are in Assam. Himanta Biswa Sarma himself had said that out of the 40 lakh excluded from the complete draft of NRC (National Register of Citizens), 22 lakh were Hindus.”Saugata Roy had said in Parliament that 28 lakh Hindu Bengalis are excluded from NRC. So, these different figures by various sources clearly say that around 20 lakh Hindus from Bangladesh are living in Assam, not eight lakh as claimed by BJP,” Gogoi said.The  further claimed that as per Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, there are around 1.7 crore Hindus, which is 10.7 per cent of that country’s total population.”If the Bill is passed, this will pave the ways for these 1.7 crore people in Bangladesh to come to Assam and get Indian nationality as there is no cut-off date in the Bill. So, there is a possibility that a total of 1.9 crore people are likely to get Indian citizenship in coming years,” Gogoi said.The the entire demography of Assam will change irreparably, if the Citizenship Bill is enacted, he added.   Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the Parliament that the bill is NOT Assam specific. Its provisions will be applicable across the nation.