Agartala, May 20, 2024: Tripura’s former minister and incumbent Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman on Monday announced that the Pradesh Congress will present a deputation to the Chief Secretary Jitendra Kumar Sinha on Tuesday, expressing their firm opposition to the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Barman emphasized that the central government’s recent notifications for the nationwide implementation of the CAA have sparked significant concern among the people of Tripura.

“The caste census will change if Indian citizenship is granted to applicants from neighboring states. This influx will affect everything from job availability to GDP contributions, which the people of Tripura will not accept in any way”, Barman said while briefing media personnel at Congress Bhavan here in Agartala city.

Barman accused the central government of using the CAA to garner votes. He highlighted that while the central government has stated that the CAA will not apply in Autonomous District Council (ADC) areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, Tripura itself is not excluded from the ADC regions.

Taking aim at Tipra Motha’s former supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, Barman remarked, “Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, who once vehemently opposed the CAA, is now posting about it on social media to mislead people. His past stance was that the CAA would exacerbate problems in the northeastern states, yet his current actions suggest a change in position.”

Barman further explained that granting Indian citizenship to citizens of neighboring states under the CAA would alter the demographic and economic landscape of Tripura. “Democracy will change when millions of people in Tripura are granted Indian citizenship,” he said. “The new citizens will demand their share in jobs, GDP, and other resources, which the people of Tripura, already struggling with issues such as lack of work, food, drinking water, electricity, and infrastructural development, cannot afford to support.”

The state Congress’s planned deputation is a direct response to these concerns, aiming to halt the implementation of the CAA in Tripura to protect the interests of its residents.

Meanwhile, three workers of Tipra Motha party joined Congress party in Agartala.