After Lok Sabha, the citizenship amendment bill (CAB) too has now been passed by Rajya Sabha. The controversial legislation provides that Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians fleeing persecution in Muslim-majority Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan can be granted citizenship. The bill has been passed despite bitter opposition by the people of North East region. The state of Assam is burning with protestors hitting streets across the state. The CAB will have severe impact on the demography of whole region.
The worst affected will be Assam where large chunk of Hindu refugees from Bangladesh have settled. The Assamese language and culture will be threatened. In Arunachal Pradesh, the CAB has potential to open the door of Indian citizenship to Chakma and Hajong refugees settled in districts like Namsai and Changlang. The CAB will forever change the demography of NE region in years to come. Not a single state will be able to absolve themselves from its impact in the long run. Even various provisions like ILP, BEFR, etc will not be able to save the region.
The people of NE region voted for BJP with the hope that it will fast-track development in the region, but, the saffron party has gifted them CAB. Their utter disregard for the sentiments of the people of region has been truly exposed. The whole NE region is feeling hurt and future looks extremely unpredictable at this juncture.