CRPC demands pending prosecution relating to Bengalis also to be withdrawn from foreigners’ tribunals

Aug 5: Citizens’ Rights Preservation Committee (CRPC) Assam strongly express their anguish on the Assam government’s cabinet decision – ‘not to prosecute any Gorkha citizen under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA),1955 and also to withdraw all pending prosecutions relating to Gorkhas from the foreigners tribunals,’ as per the version tweeted by the Chief minister of Assam.

You will be further happy to note that Assam cabinet took a decision today not prosecute any Gorkha citizen under the Citizenship Amendment Act 1955 and also to withdraw all pending prosecution relating to Gorkhas from foreigners tribunals https://t.co/YEYXw0raWe

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 4, 2021

President, Nripendra Chandra Saha and General Secretary, Bidhayak Das Purkayastha stated that Citizenship of an individual is the subject of central government. Then under what provision the state government took the cabinet decision, as it does not fall under the jurisdiction of the state. Has the central government authorized the state cabinet to do so? These questions were raised by the CRPC leaders.

The CRPC leaders opined that the central government passed the CAA on the floor of the parliament, but failed to frame the rules and regulations of its implementation till date. Then under what circumstances a particular community is made to avail the benefits of CAA depriving the other communities, especially the Bengali Hindus.

Bidhayak Das Purkayastha argued that it is really unfortunate that the community who toiled their sweat and blood in developing and shaping the present day Assam are termed as foreigners, kept within the four walls of detention camps. The Bengalis are ‘very much sons of the soil’ in comparison to the rest. He highlighted categorically that Sylhet was the integral part of Assam, which was fragmented by the “mischievous act of the then politicians for which the Sylhetis are no way responsible.” So, the government is duty bound to provide Citizenship, preserve-protect, make the Sylheti Bengalis free from the tag of foreigners, D-voters and detention camps and bestow upon them a life of dignity and honor.

The other Bengalis of Assam are ‘partition victims’ who form an integral part of undivided India. So, they are not foreigners. They deserve equal rights and benefits as indigenous and sons of soil. The leaders of CRPC made it clear that they are not against the cabinet decision of providing benefits to the Gorkhas and making them free from foreigners’ tribunal cases. Rather they welcomed it and at the same time strongly demanded to the government to provide the benefits to the Bengalis of Assam also at the earliest. CRPC feels that politically motivated decisions affecting the lions share of the deprived class of Assam i.e. the Bengalis will further jeopardize the over all situation of Assam leading to chaos and anarchy. CRPC asserted that the government should take positive steps in this regard immediately so that justice is not denied to the Bengalis of Assam.