INTRODUCTION

With the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 in Lok Sabha, protests have erupted in various parts of Northeast, most prominently in the state of Assam. It is understandable in a state like Assam where the sentiments is very high on account of the danger of being overwhelmed by the infiltrators from Bangladesh looms large and has determined the politics of the state for the last 40 years.

So, I would like to explain what the Bill is all about and why it is not detrimental to the interests of the common people of India.

First of all, the Bill aims at helping the persecuted minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis & Christians) of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to acquire Indian Citizenship in easier manner, by relaxing various norms and regulations for the said purpose.

WHY IS THIS BILL NECESSARY?

1. India’s civilizational duty and the need for Differentiation between refugees and infiltrators.

While understanding the issue of Bangladeshi immigrants, it is necessary to differentiate between the refugees and ‘other immigrants’. The genuine refugees, mainly Hindus flee to India due to religious persecution since 1947. Political instability, constant communal riots, terrorism and the sense of insecurity of the Hindu minority has contributed to the large-scale refugee inflow into Assam and West Bengal.

But, the issue of illegal immigrants, who can be termed as ‘economic migrants’ cannot be considered as refugees. Their constant inflow has created competition for jobs, land and other scare resources, resulting in continuous law and order problems and huge economic hardship for the country. Hereby, the authorities need to be differentiate between genuine refugees and ‘economic migrants’ while dealing with this complex issue.

India’s duty to protect the religious minorities of Pakistan and Bangladesh arises from the troubled legacy of the Partition of India on the basis of religious lines in 1947. Since then, heart wrenching, brutal tales of persecution of minorities in these countries is being heard every now and then. India cannot leave the minorities of those countries, to be slaughtered by Islamist totalitarian governments and terrorist groups.

2. Restoring India’s demographic balance.

Demography is Destiny. In the last 40 years, as result of continuous unabated infiltration from Bangladesh, the demography of not just Assam, but also various parts of the country like Bengal had underwent a huge change, resulting in steep fall of the share of Indic religious groups and even turning them in into minority in many of the border districts, which makes the threat of a ‘Second Partition’ an imminent one. India needs to make sure that Indic religious groups form an overwhelming majority in all parts of India to ensure our civilizational continuation and also national integrity and security.

3. So should Assam take the burden alone?

Definitely not. As far as the re-settlement of the refugees is concerned, Assam and West Bengal should not be given the burden. The refugees should be re-settled across the country and should not be allowed to concentrate in the North-East, which would prevent the any sort of animosity with the local people. The states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan which has a history of accommodating Hindu and Sikh refugees from Pakistan would be a good option.

Hence, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in rally in Feb 2014 in Assam, the whole country will take care of them and Assam would not have to share the burden. We must bear in mind that the said Bill applies not just to Assam or the Northeast alone but to the whole country which means that Assamese people would be left alone to be a dumping ground for the refugees.

4. Will this derail the process of deporting illegal immigrants?

Definitely not. As you all know there is a conspiracy by Bangladeshi infiltrators who come with a political agenda to turn the Indic religionists of Assam into a minority and then make it a part of Bangladesh. Already National Register of Citizens have been updated in Assam under the guidance of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, thanks to dedication of Sarbananda Sonowal, the current Chief Minister of Assam. The proposals for making NRC nationwide have already gained momentum with the Central Government and top BJP leadership taking a favourable view of it.

With regard to prevention of further infiltration, most of the Indo-Bangladesh border has been sealed with the security forces regular working on barbed-wire fencing including electrification and installation of flood-lights. Vigorous patrolling, electronic surveillance and ensuring better communication and co-ordination among various security agencies have helped in curbing the infiltration to a great extent.

The NRC will be implemented with the infiltrators first deleted from voters list, detained and then deported. This will take some time, but the things are now moving at a fast pace.

CONCLUSION

Assamese brothers may remember that Assamese culture and indigenous people of Assam can be preserved only with Indic majority in Assam.  Please don't fall for rumours spread by pseudo secular Opposition parties who will do anything to support Bangladeshi infiltrators for the sake of protecting their minority vote bank and fundamentalist outfits on the payroll of Pakistan and other foreign powers to engineer a second partition.

So dear Assamese brothers and sisters, whole of India is with you and it is the duty of all Indians to protect the identity and culture of Assam from Bangladeshi demographic invasion. Do not worry. We are with you and we will not let you down.