The ongoing controversies, protests and the anger among the people of Assam and North East over the Citizenship Amendment Bill are widespread. The bill as stated wants to shelter illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and provide them with Indian citizenship. Lok Sabha has passed this bill on Tuesday despite the protests.
Then what was the benefit of updating the National Register Of Citizens (NRC) and asking the legal citizens to prove their nationality again? What was the point of eliminating immigrants through NRC and then bringing them back again through an amendment bill?
Assam has always been burdened with immigrants who have equally accessed its resources and other facilities from the state making it weaker in terms of overall growth. The lives of registered citizens in Assam is already challenging as the state is highly populated with limited employment and development opportunities. The land of Assam is no longer in a position to shelter more migrants.
If the government really feels the need to accommodate the six religious groups, the attention must be drawn towards other states of India with lesser population and the states which need human resource to develop it. The government can provide these groups with the citizenship of India, but the government should also maintain a balance and make a logical decision – keeping in mind the prospects of development, growth and population.