1. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma anticipates 3-5 lakh CAA citizenship applications.
2. Applicants are likely to be those excluded from the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC).
3. The prediction follows the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state.
Guwahati, March 18: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma predicts that between three to five lakh individuals will apply for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state.
These applicants are expected to be those excluded from the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC).
According to Sarma, among those excluded from the NRC list are 7 lakh Muslims and 5 lakh Hindu-Bengalis.
He highlights that many Hindu Bengalis, who resided in refugee camps at various times, were not included in the NRC despite submitting proof of their stay through stamped papers, which were rejected by the former NRC state coordinator, Prateek Hajela.
Sarma further explains that while some of the 5 lakh Hindu Bengalis excluded from the NRC may apply for citizenship under the CAA, others may opt for legal recourse.
In addition to Hindu-Bengalis, Sarma mentions that the excluded applicants also include 2 lakh individuals identified as ‘proper Assamese,’ such as those with surnames like Das, as well as 1.5 lakh Gorkhas.
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Sarma emphasizes that the number of applications under the CAA in Assam will range between three to five lakh, with a 10 per cent margin of error. He refutes claims of significantly higher numbers, asserting his confidence in understanding the state’s political dynamics.
The NRC, supervised by the Supreme Court, was published on August 31, 2019, and excluded 19 lakh out of 3.4 crore applicants.
Earlier this month, the Central Government implemented the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019, which aims to expedite citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
