AIUDF Writes To Non-BJP Parties To Oppose Citizenship Bill

GUWAHATI: The AIUDF on Monday dashed off the letter to all non-BJP parties which have their representatives in the Parliament, with a plea to oppose the Centre’s move to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The letter signed by the AIUDF president Maulana Badaruddin Ajmal was sent to Congress, TDP, TMC, TRS, BJD, NCP, CPI –M, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, RJD, DMK, Jantadal Secular, Aam Admi Party, RLD, JD-U and NC. Ajmal in his letter said the proposed legislation clearly violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality to all persons and citizens irrespective of religions, caste, and creed.

“Indeed such communal bill will deflate the secular credentials of India. It is also violative of the Assam Accord 1985 and section 6-A of the citizenship Act 1955 as Amended in the year 1985. Besides, if this bill is passed and illegal migrants of some selective communities are granted citizenship, the ongoing exercise of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will also be rendered meaningless,” Ajmal said.

The letter said Assam is a heterogeneous State having a large number of people belonging to different tribes, castes and cultures such as Bodos, Dimasas, Tiwas, Missings, Mataks, Morans, Koch - Rajbongshis, different tea tribes, Muslims and Hindu communities each speaking different languages. All the communities of people are residing peacefully for centuries together. The proposed enactment is bound to disturb the peaceful existence of the people of Assam, it said.

“After the partition of the country, Assam has borne the burden of about 25 lakhs of registered and unregistered refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan and the State is not in a position to bear the burden of any more refugees. It may be mention here that due to lack of Industries in Assam, the State is not in a position to solve its own gigantic unemployment problem and the proposed amendment shall only add to the woes of the already burdened people of the State,” the letter said. “We believe that the Bill will not affect Assam only but will have a severe impact in the socio-economic and political aspects of the country,” Ajmal said with a fervent appeal to all non-BJP parties to oppose the Bill. On another hand, Ajmal who is also a Lok Sabha member and another AIUDF MP Radhesheyam Biswam staged a protest in front of the Parliament on Monday against the Bill.

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