The Union cabinet on Wednesday said it will form a high-level committee for safeguarding the interests of ethnic Assamese. This comes in the wake of the closure on 31 December of the process for claims and objections with regard to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) ahead of its final draft later this year.
The move marks a back-pedalling by the centre on an issue that has rocked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Assam. Alliance partner Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) threatening to walk out should Parliament pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, which seeks to provide citizenship to migrants from neighbouring countries.