"No point drawing conclusions now, we must wait for NRC drafts," Sushmita Dev

All these years, there has been no clear accounts of how many illegal Bangladeshis are living in Assam. Whether they are even really present in large numbers is also not certain and that’s the reason why the NRC process is underway in the state. It’s a way to get a clear perception regarding illegal immigrants.

Now, at the party’s central level meeting on Tuesday, Silchar MP Sushmita Dev shared her opinion on the burning subject. She said, “The number of immigrants can only be confirmed after the publication of the final draft of NRC. No one knows how many faced persecution and fled to India, it is also uncertain how the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 can help them. That’s the reason why the Congress should not take any stand supporting or opposing the bill, which may create contradiction within the party itself.”

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 stirred up quite a controversy between the Brahmaputra and Barak party leaders. While the former criticised and opposed the bill, the latter supported it resulting in divided opinion between the same parties. For tackling this issue, the central leadership held an important meeting in Delhi on Tuesday. Sushmita Dev, Ripun Bora, Gaurav Gogoi, Siddique Ahmed, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and other prominent leaders attended the same. On the direction of the party’s All India president Rahul Gandhi, CP Joshi convened the meet, and some proposed not to take any stand regarding the bill till the completion of NRC. With no clear conclusion, needless to say, it has become a great burden for the Congress now.

Furthermore, disagreements were clearly visible during the recent JPC visit to Assam as Guwahati leaders completely opposed the bill, while on the other hand, MP and JPC member Sushmita Dev supported it, and so did Karimganj MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha. But interestingly, they haven’t supported the bill directly.

While they want December 31, 2014 to be made the base year for determining citizenship, Guwahati Leadership insists implementation of the Assam Accord by keeping the base year intact as March 24, 1971. According to them, Assam will not take the burden of partition alone, and won’t allow illegal Bangladeshis to get citizenship.

In the meeting in Delhi, Sushmita Dev referred to it and stated, “We have given our position in the JPC meeting and in the same way, members from the Brahmaputra Valley gave theirs. It is clear that they will only accept the Assam Accord. But how many foreigners are there in Assam? Whether there are even foreigners in Assam, no one is able to give a concrete answer. So we have appealed to the Central Committee that for the time being do not allow disputes to arise. Whether it is regarding the NRC, the Citizenship Amendment Bill or the JPC meeting, members from the same party should discuss among themselves and then make any statements publicly. This is our appeal to the central committee.”

Talking to BarakBulletin.com, Sushmita confirmed that CP Joshi has agreed on the terms and said that in future, decisions will be taken after discussing with all party members