Assam: Those opposing CAA should go to court, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Nazira: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that those opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 should move the court instead of protesting against the Act.

Sarma's statement came a day after the Centre notified the rules for implementation of the contentious Act.

"The CAA was passed by Parliament, and the rules for its implementation have already been notified. Now there is no point in protesting against CAA. Assam had an Act called IM(DT) Act, which was repealed by the court. Those opposing CAA can go to the court," Sarma said after inaugurating the country's largest pork processing plant at Chanbosa under Nazira subdivision of Sivasagar district of Assam.

According to the Assam Chief Minister, the anti-CAA protests were based on emotions. "Those opposing CAA have given large figures of people that will get Indian citizenship. We will know in the coming days how many people actually get Indian citizenship.

"We will have on our web portal district-wise names of people applying for Indian nationality. If many more people come (for Indian citizenship), we will be answerable. If not, those protesting against CAA will be answerable. Then the five martyrs (of the anti-CAA movement in Assam) will get justice," Sarma said.

The Centre's notification of the rules for implementation of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 has sparked fresh protests across Assam.

With the implementation of CAA, the BJP-led Central government seeks to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim immigrants -- Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians -- from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.