Guwahati, 12th March: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made a bold statement, expressing his readiness to resign if even a single new individual enters the state under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
During a recent media interaction, Sarma addressed various concerns surrounding the CAA, emphasizing that applications for citizenship can be made online from home, thus negating the need for street protests.
He also assured that those responsible for the unfortunate loss of lives during the CAB agitation would be identified soon.
Sarma sought to clarify misconceptions about the CAA, affirming that no new individuals would enter Assam under the Act.
He emphasized that only those who were in India before 2014 would be eligible to apply for citizenship under the CAA, aside from those who had applied for the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The Chief Minister reiterated his commitment by stating that he would resign if a single new person enters Assam under the CAA.
While speculating that the number of applicants would be minimal, Sarma warned that if the number exceeded 20 lakh, he would join the protests against the CAA.
He assured that all data related to the applications would be made available within 45 to 60 days.
In a separate development, the central government announced the implementation of the CAA on March 11, prior to the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Ministry of Home Affairs revealed that applications for citizenship would be submitted online through a dedicated web portal.