Only 8 in Assam have applied for citizenship under CAA in 4 months: Himanta Biswa Sarma

He told reporters, "Only eight people applied for citizenship under the CAA. Even among them, only two have come for an interview.”

He also claimed that it had become clear now that members of the Bengali Hindu community who don't feature on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) wouldn't apply under the CAA for citizenship.

"They say they came to India prior to 1971," said Mr Sarma, referring to the cut-off year for citizenship in Assam.

"I have met many people, they are telling us that we are confident about our Indian citizenship, we want to prove that in a court of law,” said Mr Sarma. "That is the general sentiment among the people in Assam,” he added.

While replying to a question about whether the Assam government is dropping cases under CAA against the Hindu Bengalis, the chief minister clarified, “This is misleading... we cannot drop any cases.. we are only saying before filing a case they should apply in the portal because even if you file a case there will be no result as they are entitled to Citizenship.” He reiterated, “We are not saying dropping or not dropping... we are just flagging the provision of law, the legal provision.”

Mr Sarma also said the proceedings at Foreigners Tribunal have to be paused for two-three months and the people given a chance to apply for citizenship under the CAA.

“Anybody (according to CAA) who has come to India before 2015, has the first right to apply for citizenship. If they don't apply, we will lodge a case for them. So this is a statutory instruction. We will deport those who have come after 2015," he said.

It is significant that Assam prepared a Supreme Court-monitored National Register of Citizenship (NCR), the list of which came out in 2019. About 19 lakh people didn't find their names on the updated NRC list that proves citizenship.

Citizenship is a sensitive issue in Assam that had triggered a massive anti-CAA movement in which five people were killed in 2019.