In wake of statewide protests against the new Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), the Assam government will hold dialogue with the leadership of the protesting organizations.

Speaking to media, Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal said, “We can resolve all our issues and differences through dialogue. The process of sending an invitation to the protesting leaders has been initiated by the Chief Secretary. I believe, together, we chalk out a solution.”

The Chief Minister firmly said that Assam will always remain for the Assamese. “A section of people is trying to aggravate the situation by spreading misinformation and misleading people by saying that 10-15 million people are going to take citizenship in Assam. It’s false propaganda. The Assamese language will be protected as a state language forever.”

He added, “Not a single person of Bangladesh will get to enter Assam through CAA. There will be no threat to the Assamese society. A draft will be prepared to clear the air around citizenship under CAA soon. I am fully committed to protecting the interest of the people of the state.”

As the Rajya Sabha passed the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on December 11th, 2019, massive protests erupted in the state.

The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to the people belonging to the Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Parsis who have become the victims of religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan and entered India on or before December 31st, 2014. The agitators said that the Bill is anti-national and violate the historic Assam Accord.

Photo: Time8