GUWAHATI: BJP national president Amit Shah on Sunday promised protection to Hindus who had immigrated to Assam following religious persecution in Bangladesh.
Hindu refugees from Bangladesh will be given Indian citizenship if BJP comes to power in Assam in next year’s assembly polls, Shah said. “Some Hindus have come from Bangladesh due to religious disturbances. BJP will give all of them citizenship once we come to power in Assam next year,” Shah said at a rally here.
At a BJP rally here, Shah reiterated PM Narendra Modi’s promise in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls that other states would share the burden of providing shelter to the Hindu refugees from Bangladesh.
“I want to assure you that Hindus who have suffered religious persecution (in Bangladesh) need not worry. BJP will give all the necessary protection to them. Assam alone will not have to bear the burden of sheltering the Hindu refugees. Other states will also share the responsibility,” Shah said.
Shah’s statement came close on the heels of chief minister Tarun Gogoi’s assurance of giving protection to Hindu refugees from the neighbouring country.
At a time when the process of updating the National Register for Citizens (NRC) is under way, the issue of giving protection and citizenship to Hindu refugees has stirred a debate among political and non-political organizations.