Suddenly, the movement against the ‘Hindu Bangladeshi’ citizenship issue in Assam has lost its visibility. Statistically, all civil society groups, students’ forums, opposition political parties and even both the factions of United Liberation Front of Assam joined in the movement against the centre’s initiative to grant citizenship to the religious minorities from Bangladesh. But lately, the podium has been shifted to New Delhi, raising voices against the Union government.

One of those vocal organisations, Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP), along with few other northeastern groups, staged a demonstration in the national capital on 28 November protesting against the centre’s proposal to amend the Citizenship Act 1955. Led by AJYCP president Biraj Kumar Talukdar and general secretary Palash Changmai, the demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi witnessed the participation of hundreds of protesters.

“The NDA government at the Centre is trying to settle the citizenship issue of the Bangladeshi Hindu nationals in Assam to strike political advantages. We find it difficult to understand that as despite Bangladesh Prime Minister’s assertion that no Hindu nationals is harassed in the neighbouring country, the move to roll out a red carpet to the neighbouring nationals itself suggests a political motive,” said AJYCP.

It also added that the BJP-led government has no right to downplay the sentiments of the millions of northeastern people and the AJYCP won’t remain calm unless the politically motivated move is abandoned.

The New Delhi-based Naga Students Association, Manipur Students Union, Tripura Students Association, Khasi Students Union, along with many JNU and Delhi University students participated in the demonstration. SFI leader Prashant Kumar and Tripura student leader Dharanjit Debbarma also joined the protest with a pledge to carry forward the movement.

However, in the backdrop of an uproarious atmosphere in Assam, till last month against the centre’s proposal to grant citizenship to religious minorities from Bangladesh and Pakistan, a nationalist people’s forum came forward backing the initiative for the victims of Partition across India.

Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA), in a recent memorandum to Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit, clarified that the Hindu minorities in Bangladesh include not only the Bengali but also Rajbongshi, Hajong, Adivasi, Jayantiya and Bishnupriya communities.

Similarly, the Buddhists include Chakma and some Assamese people who fled to the Chittagong hill areas of Bangladesh during the Burmese invasion. The Christians include Bengali, Garo, Khasi and Adivasi people. All these people became the victims of Pakistan’s game plan and Partition and had to live in a ‘foreign land’, for the creation of which they were not responsible, commented the forum.

The memorandum also expressed concerns that few “recent misleading and manipulative statements by some individuals and organisations on the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 issue’ were ‘trying to communalise the issue instead of helping to find an amicable solution”.

“The extremely volatile utterances targeting the Hindu minority community of Assam are deplorable and condemnable to say the least,” asserted the memorandum, signed by some distinguished personalities like eminent historian Dr Nirode K Barooah, former director general of National Museum Dr Rabin Dev Choudhury, eminent publisher Giripada Dev Choudhury, award-winning filmmaker Manju Bora, IIT Kharagpur professor Gourishankar S Hiremath, Banaras Hindu University professor Anil K Rai etc.

“We are from this land of glorious civilisation and culture and we feel that our spirit should be that of accommodation of Hindu’s, Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs and other religious minorities who have had to face extreme suppression in erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and also West Pakistan and have been the true victims of Partition of India,” pointed out the memorandum.

It also added that PPFA has no intention of communalising the issue but it wants to “provide a clear understanding of how history unfolded lest some vested interests and parochial mindsets for their own narrow political gains and cheap mileage would continue to resort to disturb the peace and tranquil atmosphere of Assam”.

Endorsed by non-resident Assamese professionals Vavani Sarmah and Kalyan Dutta-Choudhury, Ravindra Nath, Dipannita Jaiswal, Jahnabi Goswami, Pranjal Saikia, Jitul Sonowal, Dr Subhra Kinkor Goswami etc, the memorandum also argued that India should have a concrete refugee policy “to deal with the issue of immigrants logically and legally” forever.

“There is a need for a solution to this vexed issue and we would fully agree if those who have been truly victimised owing to the Partition and religious persecution are given a place not just in Assam but in all other states of India, a country where the underlying tenets of democracy are tolerance, secularism and freedom of religion, faith, practice and freedom of expression,” asserted the memorandum.

“We sincerely believe India should sign the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention. Moreover, our government has to ratify the 1967 Protocol relating to the status of refugees,” emphasised the memorandum, backed by DN Chakrabarty, Rupam Barua, Girindra Kumar Karjee, Anup Sarma, Bidhayak Das, Utpal Dutta, Bobita Sarma, Jagadindra Ray Choudhury Braja Jyoti Sharma etc.

Patriotic People’s Front Assam

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