GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took a jibe at the Congress on Tuesday for its alleged attempt to rake up the citizenship issue involving Bengali Hindus by branding the BJP’s Dholai Assembly by-election candidate Nihar Ranjan Das as a ‘Bangladeshi’.While campaigning for Das in Dholai which falls under the Cachar district in southern Assam’s Barak valley, Sarma told the media the BJP had solved the citizenship issue involving Bengali Hindus but the Congress was trying to revive it.His oblique reference was to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act which removed barriers for acquiring Indian citizenship for six non-Muslim communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.“This issue is not limited to Nihar Ranjan Das. There are many others and it will be their issue too. So, who is the Congress working for? The Congress is working against Bengali Hindus,” Sarma alleged.“If we discuss this matter, notices (by the border police) will be issued to ten other households. They will then have to go to the “foreigners’ tribunals. Who will suffer?” Sarma asked.Foreigners’ tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies which deal with the cases of suspected illegal immigrants.Sarma said Das passed Class 10 from the valley and he has his name on the list of National Register of Citizens, adding that people also know his father and other family members.“Nihar babu will not face any problem but if such a question is raised, others will suffer. By calling him a Bangladeshi, the Congress is doing politics so that the Bengali Hindus suffer again,” the Assam CM said.The BJP candidate laughed off the Congress’ claims.“On seeing the excitement among people for the BJP and how they are attending BJP rallies, the Congress is talking rubbish. We should not give any credence to such remarks,” Das said.On Monday, AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam Jitendra Singh had slammed the BJP for fielding a Bangladeshi in the by-poll. He stated a local BJP leader, Amiya Kanti Das, himself had made public that Das is a Bangladeshi.The by-elections to Dholai and four other Assembly segments of the state will be held on November 13.
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