more-in An organisation of Assam that is instrumental in fast-tracking the latest round of eviction of Bengali-origin Muslims from across the State has alleged that the BJP-led government is “following the pro-migrant policy” of the erstwhile Congress government. The organisation claimed that both the State and the Centre were acting against the interests of the indigenous people of Assam. Unofficially around 10,000 people have been evicted in the recent months in Assam, while officially the figure is pegged at 3,500. ‘BJP acting like Cong.’ In a statement on behalf of the Prabajan Virodhi Manch (Forum Against Infiltration), its convener, Upamanyu Hazarika, said that on two issues the BJP government in the State was acting like the Congress. One is determination of the cut-off date for grant of citizenship to migrants from Bangladesh/East Pakistan. He questioned the cut-off date — “whether it would be 25.03.1971 in terms of Assam Accord or 19.07.1948 (commonly referred to as 1951)”. Mr. Hazarika also feels that the process of granting citizenship “by birth to the children of illegal migrants born in Assam” is also not effective. He has also questioned the stand of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who as a Union Minister, filed an affidavit on July 20, 2015, arguing that “children of foreigners born in Assam up to December 2004 should get citizenship by birth.” Mr. Sonowal’s stand had “weakened” the citizens’ case, he said. The opponents of the argument claim that there is no debate regarding March 25, 1971 as the cut-off date as it was unanimously decided by the government of India, the Assam government and the All Assam Students’ Union in 1985. Even within the BJP in Assam, very few are keen to debate the cut-off date or the status of the descendants. Mr. Hazarika, who worked with the State government to fast-track eviction of settlers from the banks and the islands of the Brahmaputra, heads the one-man commission appointed by the Supreme Court to look into the issues of indigenous people of Assam.

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