Will never let foreigners settle here : Sonowal

    03-Jan-2020

Will never let foreigners
Guwahati, Jan 3
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal reiterated that he won’t allow “foreigners" to settle in his State just a day after he was shown black flags in Barpeta after making the claim.
“No foreigner can come to Assam as a result of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), nor shall we let them come in. By no means, the Act affects the demography of Assam,” he said.
Assam saw one of the most violent anti-CAA protests as the people feared that the newly-amended law will allow Bangladeshis to become Assamese citizens.
"The Government has given suggestion to the Central Government, which is in a process to frame the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act to incorporate State Government's view so that interest of indigenous people remains protected," Sonowal told media persons.
Asserting that he is also the "son of this soil and will not compromise with the interest of indigenous people" at any cost, Sonowal said, "I would like to make an appeal to the people of my State to have trust in me. I am your son and we are in power due to your blessings. We, son of the soil, are running this Government since 2016 but never compromise with the interest of people. Please do not isolate me from you...where will I go if you do so....just wait and watch for some time, all false campaign will fall flat."
Sonowal’s statement comes a day after he was shown black flags by people protesting CAA in Sarthebari area of Barpeta district. Protests erupted shortly after the Assam Chief Minister asserted that the Citizenship Law will not affect the indigenous population as rules have been formed to protect their interests.
"People should have no doubt or confusion in their mind regarding this law. We have many plans regarding the protection of their interests and on this first day of the New Year, I want to assure all 'khilonjiya bhumiputras' (sons of the soil) that they are completely secure and there is no power that can endanger their existence?", Sonowal said during a media interaction on the occasion of the New Year.
To assuage the concerns of the people over the same the State Government earlier provided land pattas or deeds to more than 40,000 landless indigenous people of the State earlier.  Timesnow