THE CPI(M) Assam State Committee has strongly objected to the Modi government’s unilateral and arbitrary move to grant Indian citizenship to all Hindu refugees from Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Party said the decision, taken on communal considerations without taking into consideration the people of Assam and various political parties and organisations, has made provisions of the Assam Accord completely irrelevant and meaningless and will endanger the unity and integrity of Assam. The CPI(M) strongly feels the BJP government has taken the decision only to sharpen communal polarisation in view of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state and to serve their narrow political interest. The Assam State Committee, in a statement, said: “The CPI(M) would like to make it clear that the Party has no objection to granting of citizenship to the refugees who have been forced to leave their respective countries to save their lives or who are victims of religious persecutions or attacks. Their problems and sufferings should be considered sympathetically on humanitarian grounds. The entire burden of Hindu refugees from Bangladesh, however, cannot be taken by Assam alone. The rehabilitation should be distributed in other parts of the country and the Party has no objection to granting of citizenship to these people. But in Assam, 25 March, 1971 must be the cut-off date for detection of foreigners. The State Committee of the Party is of the firm opinion that the problems of illegal infiltration in Assam cannot be solved from communal point of view.” All the political parties and organisations in Assam have arrived at a unanimous decision to stop illegal infiltration and to detect and deport illegal migrants from across the border, taking 25 March, 1971 as the cut-off date. Various political parties and organisations, barring the Congress, have vehemently opposed the Centre's decision. Protest actions have also been mounting in different forms across the state. The success of the September 12 Assam Bandh, called by an organisations of students and youths, reflected the people’s opposition to the “anti-Assam” move. The CPI(M) statement further said that the Modi government has neither taken the people of Assam and various political parties and organisations into confidence nor consulted with any quarters before issuing notifications in this regard. The government has taken the decision unilaterally and arbitrarily in an authoritarian style for regularising entry and stay of all Hindu refugees who entered India on or before 31 December 2014. The central government's decision has made provisions of the Assam Accord with regard to illegal infiltration and the ongoing process of updating the National Register of Citizenship completely irrelevant and meaningless. The government has taken the decision at a time when all sections of people of Assam have been extending full cooperation for updating NRC, taking 25 March, 1971 as the cut-off date, under the direction and supervision of the Supreme Court of India. Such an anti-Assam step of the Modi government, when the process of upgrading NRC was advancing smoothly, will endanger the unity and integrity and harm the interest of Assam.” As per the official notification, issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on September 7, the central government has decided to exempt Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals belonging to minority communities (read Hindus) who have entered India on or before December 31, 2014 from the relevant provisions of rules and order made under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and the Foreigners Act, 1946, in respect of their entry and stay in India. The Centre has accordingly issued two notifications in the Official Gazette under the aforesaid Acts. (END)