CAA and the Politics of Citizenship in Assam: An Unsettled Issue of Migration and Identity

Abstract

The question of citizenship in Assam has historically been intertwined with patterns of migration, ethnic identity, and political contestation. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), enacted in 2019, has intensified these debates by introducing religion as a criterion for naturalization while intersecting with the state’s long-standing anxieties over immigration from Bangladesh. This paper critically examines the politics of citizenship in Assam, situating the CAA within the broader historical trajectory of migration, the Assam Movement (1979–1985), and the signing of the Assam Accord of 1985. It explores how the unresolved challenges of defining “indigenous” and “foreigner” continue to shape conflicts over identity, representation, and belonging in the region. The abstract highlights three major dimensions: first, the socio-political tensions generated by large-scale migration and the perceived demographic imbalance; second, the legal and institutional frameworks—including the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Foreigners’ Tribunals, and CAA—that have attempted, but failed, to provide a durable resolution; and third, the lived experiences of communities caught between state policies and identity politics. By analyzing parliamentary debates, judicial interventions, and grassroots mobilizations, the study argues that the CAA, rather than resolving the citizenship question, has deepened fissures between communities, sharpened religious and ethnic divides, and complicated the politics of recognition in Assam. The findings suggest that the citizenship issue remains an unsettled and unfinished project, reflecting broader tensions between constitutional principles of equality, the politics of ethno-nationalism, and the state’s attempt to manage migration in a borderland region.