A blend of joy & sorrow: Himanta on Section 6A verdict

GUWAHATI: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday expressed "mixed reaction of elation and melancholy" over the Supreme Court judgment upholding the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act .

Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of an official function on Sunday, Sarma emphasised that Assamese people would have to go through "tribulations".

"I am uncertain if this judgment is momentous. Govt enacted the Assam Accord , so its stance in the court was that the cut-off date should be 1971. However, numerous individuals in Assam aspired for the cut-off date to be 1951," he said.

Sarma said, "I perceive that this verdict establishes 1971 as the cut-off date, and my reaction is mixed. There is both jubilation and despondency in it. Therefore, I am reluctant to characterise it as a historic judgment; it is simply an amalgamation of both sentiments." "The Assamese community has to forge ahead with struggles like this," he added.

Section 6A deals with the grant of Indian citizenship to immigrants covered by the 1985 Assam Accord, which sets March 25, 1971, as the cut-off date. In a 4:1 majority verdict, the SC on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of Section 6A, which grants Indian citizenship to immigrants who arrived in Assam between Jan 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971.