AANA delegation raises CAA issue with Minister of Community Affairs

A CORRESPONDENT

GAURISAGAR: The members of the Assam Association of North America (AANA) had a productive discussion on Sunday with Anurag Kumar, Minister of Community Affairs, at the Embassy of India, Washington DC. They raised their concerns regarding the current situation in Assam and handed over the letter written by the AANA.

Kumar accepted their letter and promised to forward the same to the Prime Minister’s office in India. AANA executives decided to convey the message to the Prime Minister’s office through this diplomatic approach.

Their discussions were primarily focused on the points mentioned in the AANA letter like the implementation of the Assam Accord of 1985 in entirety with the cut-off date of March 24, 1971, without further delay and with an expected date of completion. In case of any conflict between CAA and the Assam Accord, the Assam Accord must prevail in order to ensure primacy in the public interest of the indigenous population of Assam.

The AANA sought to update the Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) released on August 31, 2019, with corrections necessary to enable full and complete implementation of the Assam Accord. While granting citizenship and settling refugees, necessary steps should be taken to protect and preserve the cultural, social and linguistic identity of the indigenous people of Assam.

They also discussed few additional points like protection of the rich Assamese cultural heritage/ethnicity, implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord 1985 immediately, completing the border fencing to ensure security and to stop the infiltration of illegal immigrants. The AANA members who attended the meeting included Manoranjan Bordoloi (Mark), Krishna Hazarika, Anjana Bordoloi and Rhituparna Sarma.

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