Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed on Monday that only one individual from Barak Valley has applied for Indian citizenship under the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state of Assam.
Sarma’s announcement comes amidst ongoing debates and protests surrounding the law’s implementation.
Addressing a gathering while campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Sonari, Sibsagar district, Sarma emphasized that the protests against the CAA were based on “falsehoods,” as evidenced by the lack of applications for citizenship.
He challenged the leaders of the protests to respond to the reality on the ground.
Highlighting the specific case of Sonari, where a significant population of migrants from neighboring Bangladesh resides, Sarma noted that even there, no applications for citizenship under the CAA have been submitted.
This revelation underscores the discrepancy between the anticipated influx of applicants, as predicted by critics, and the actual number of individuals seeking citizenship under the law.
Notably, the disclosure by Sarma comes just a day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear petitions seeking a stay on the CAA rules recently notified by the Central government.
The CAA, enacted in December 2019, aims to grant citizenship to persecuted minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians, from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, provided they entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
