Linguistic minorities being targeted in Assam, alleges CPI(M)

The CPI(M) today alleged that the linguistic minorities, including Bengalis, in Assam were being targeted in the name of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and said the problem should be resolved amicably on the basis of the Constitution and "not on the whims" of RSS-BJP.
Charging the BJP government in the state with using religion and language as tools to divide the people of Assam, the party also lashed out at the prime minister for allegedly "using vote bank politics to win polls" there.
"The prime minister is squarely responsible for this crisis. The prime minister for the sake of votes tried to rake up the same issue during the poll campaign in Assam. He had promised that all those who came from across the border will be sent back, as the RSS and BJP believe that all Bengali- speaking people are Bangladeshis," CPI(M) leader Mohd Salim told reporters here.

Salim claimed that though the "fragile unity" in Assam was somewhat achieved through the Assam Accord, the RSS has been propagating for long "to divide" the Bengali-speaking population using religion.
"The situation has worsened during the Modi regime", Salim said.
The CPI(M) leader also accused the state chief minister of "sending wrong signals among the linguistic minorities".

Taking a dig at the RSS-BJP, Salim reminded them that Bengali was also the language of West Bengal and not only the Bangladeshi people.
"The RSS and BJP always believe and have the understanding that all Bengali-speaking people are Bangladeshis. They forget West Bengal.

"There is a large number of people who are in Tripura, Maharashtra, Assam who speak Bengali," Salim said.
He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to study the Assam Accord and resolve the problem amicably on the basis of the Constitution and "not on the basis of the whims of the RSS".