In the city of Guwahati, Assam’s Chief Executive, Himanta Biswa Sarma, declared on Tuesday his readiness to tender his resignation should an individual, who refrains from submitting an application for the National Register of Citizens (NRC), be granted citizenship.
This proclamation follows a surge of protests throughout Assam, directed at the BJP-led government for enacting the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 (CAA) on Monday. The CAA facilitates the conferment of citizenship upon undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
“As a progeny of Assam, I unequivocally affirm that should an individual not included in the NRC application process be granted citizenship, I shall promptly tender my resignation,” asserted the chief executive during an event in Sivasagar. Opposition factions criticize the federal government for potentially allowing a considerable influx of people into the state in the aftermath of the CAA implementation.
In anticipation of such a scenario, Sarma asserted, “I shall be at the forefront of protest.” Downplaying the novelty of the CAA, the chief executive noted its prior enactment, emphasizing that the present era signifies the commencement of the application phase. “The data submitted on the designated platform will serve as the arbiter of truth, elucidating whether the contentions of the Act’s detractors hold factual veracity,” Sarma remarked.
Following the issuance of CAA regulations, the central government is poised to confer Indian nationality upon persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, arriving in India until December 31, 2014. This encompassing group includes adherents of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity. The delayed enforcement of the law stemmed from the non-notification of accompanying rules until now.