Assam Jatiya Parishad protests extension of CAA deadline

Members of the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), on Wednesday (September 3, 2025), staged protests against the Centre’s decision to extend the deadline for granting Indian citizenship to refugees from three neighbouring countries under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act by 10 years.

A notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that people belonging to the minority communities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, who were compelled to take refuge in India on or before December 31, 2024, due to religious persecution, would be allowed to stay without a passport or other travel documents.

The CAA, which came into force in 2024, initially offered fast-tracked citizenship to non-Muslims who fled the three neighbouring countries on or before December 31, 2014.

The AJP, born out of the violent anti-CAA movement in Assam, termed the extension of the deadline as the “biggest crime” ever committed against Assamese people, and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of perpetuating historical injustice.

Leaders and workers of the regional party tore up multiple copies of the new CAA notification and set them on fire in a symbolic act of defiance.

Slams BJP

AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan accused the BJP of endangering the very existence of the Assamese people for the sake of Hindu Bangladeshi votes.

“The BJP leaders know very well that the number of Assamese speakers is shrinking year by year. In every decade, the proportion of Assamese-speaking people has dropped by around 5%. According to the 2011 Census, only 48% of Assam’s population spoke Assamese,” the duo stated.

“Despite knowing this, the BJP has pushed the CAA to legalise illegal foreigners and accelerate the erosion of Assamese identity. By extending the CAA deadline by another 10 years, the BJP has increased Assam’s burden from 43 years of foreigners to 53 years. This is a grave injustice,” they stated.

Congress, AAP flay Centre’s decision

The Assam unit of Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have condemned the Centre’s decision to extend the CAA deadline. “The September 1 notification is a black day for Assam. It further reduces the relevance of the Assam Accord, which prescribed March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for detecting and deporting foreigners living illegally in the State,” Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia said. He also said the State party leadership has written to organisations such as the All Assam Students’ Union for a coordinated protest against the decision.

“Before taking this decision, did Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah consult the 146 crore people of India?” Rajib Saikia, the AAP’s State general secretary (organisation), asked.