BJP assured measures for constitutional,economic, social, and cultural safeguards for indigenous people of the State.But, how many of them have been fulfilled?
Despite widespreadopposition and protests, India's hugely controversial Citizenship Amendment Act(CAA) came into effect on Friday. The same was announced via The Gazetteof India.
Meanwhile, thegovernment has gone all out to bulldoze the aspirations of the people of Assamand the rest of the northeast.
The Opposition has opposed the Citizenship Amendment Billlargely on the issue of exclusion of Muslim immigrants, calling the movediscriminatory and a part of the BJP's Hindutva agenda. Simply put, theOpposition parties seem to be okay with the Citizenship Amendment Bill if thegovernment brings Muslim migrants in the ambit of the legislation forcitizenship.
In Assam, however, the protesters want none of them – neither Hindus nor Muslims if they are illegal immigrants.
In 2014, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised the voters of Assam to identify and expel all illegal migrants staying in Assam.
BJP promised to finish the work on barbed wire fencing along India-Bangladesh border, and increase deployment of Border Security Force personnel to four times.
There is a proposal by the Centre to grant ST status to six communities in Assam, which is expected to boost their support in the state. The six communities are — Koch Rajbongshi, Chutia, Moran, Matak, Tai Ahom and Tea Tribes.
On September 7, 2015, the central government issued a notification under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and Foreigners Act, 1946, which stated that all Bangladeshis and Pakistanis who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, and who do not have proper documents or expired visas, can stay in India. The notification triggered huge protests from student and ethnic Assamese groups. This notification actually contradicts Modi's promise of stopping illegal immigration and solving the issue.
The Assam Accord, which was signed between the Rajiv Gandhi government and the All Assam Students Union post the six-year-old Assam agitation in 1985, is a crucial factor. More than 30 years have passed but the accord's clauses have not been implemented.
BJP promised to provide one crore jobs to the youth of the country if voted to power at the Centre.
Interestingly, the BJP Government is hatching a conspiracy against the indigenous Assamese community by introducing a new burden called 'Citizenship Amendment Act' (CAA)– which is a patently communal Bill to frustrate the process of NRC.
