AJP criticizes the government's directive on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants

Digital Desk: The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has voiced serious concerns over the Assam state government's recent directive to the police department, which advises against taking legal action against Bangladeshi immigrants under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). AJP President Lurinjyoti Gogoi and General Secretary Jagdish Bhuyan released a statement condemning the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government for what they see as a threat to the existence and identity of the Assamese people.

The directive, issued by the Home and Political Department on July 5 to the Special Director General of the Border Branch of Assam Police, instructs that no legal action should be taken against Bangladeshi citizens of Hindu, Christian, Jain, Parsi, and Buddhist faiths who entered Assam illegally before December 31, 2014. This information has only recently come to public attention.

Gogoi and Bhuyan accused the BJP government of consistently undermining the Assamese and other indigenous cultures, languages, and ethnic dignity. They argued that the decision disregards the strong sentiment against illegal immigration held by the Assamese populace. The AJP leaders stressed that the BJP's introduction of the CAA was solely for the benefit of an illegal Bangladeshi vote bank, branding it a "black law" for Assam.

The statement also highlighted that the central government plans to hold discussions with the people of Assam to address the issue, but Gogoi and Bhuyan asserted that no long-standing Assamese residents support the CAA. They warned that the BJP’s actions are systematically eroding the cultural, linguistic, and political power of the Assamese community.

The AJP leaders criticized former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and current Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing them of betraying the Assamese people despite their promises to protect the state's heritage. They claimed that Sarma, in particular, has cemented his place in history as a villain by enabling the permanent settlement of millions of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam, thus threatening the state's demographic balance and cultural identity.