ASSAM TIMES POST
Guwahati : Assam Chief Minister Friday said not a single person from Bangladesh will come into the state through the Citizenship Amendment Act but only those already here for decades due to religious persecution there would be able to apply for Indian citizenship.
Allaying fears of the people, Chief Minister Sonowal addressing a press conference here said, “not a single person of Bangladesh will come into Assam through CAA.”
“Only those people who are already in Assam for decades due to religious persecution in Bangladesh would be able to apply for Indian citizenship”, asserted Sonowal.
When the process of filing application for citizenship will be completed, he said, “then the list of the number of people who applied for Indian citizenship here will be published”.
“People will then know if the ‘negligible’ number I have been saying is correct or not”, Sonowal added.
“It is certain that granting of citizenship cannot have any impact on our social construct. Clause 6 of the Assam Accord grants constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people”, he said.
Assuring the people of the state that he and his government are with them and always works in their best interests as well as the land of the indigenous people being safe, the Chief Minister appealed all to to maintain peace and not be influenced by any misinformation regarding their language, identity and land being under threat due to CAA.
Sonowal also said: “I have invited the leadership of the agitation for talks across the table as I believe through discussions everything is possible”.
“I have extended our invitation through the chief secretary. I believe we can together chalk out a solution, a way out…everything is possible”, the Chief Minister was optimistic.
