Peasants rights group Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) on Sunday said Assam will not be safe even if the word “Bangladesh” is removed from the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

There have been reports that the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which is taking opinions of the public and other stakeholders on the bill, is likely to suggest the Centre to remove the word “Bangladesh” citing opposition in Assam and a section of its own members.

The bill seeks to grant citizenship to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have entered India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The Brahmaputra Valley in Assam is opposing the bill tooth and nail arguing that it will violate the 1971 cut-off date for detection and deportation of illegal immigrants set by the Assam Accord and will open the door for Hindu Bangladeshis to come to Assam in the future.

“Assam will not be safe even if the word Bangladesh is removed from the bill unless the word is removed from the Foreigners (Amendment) Order, 2015, the Passport (Entry into India) Notification Amendment Rules, 2015,” KMSS adviser Akhil Gogoi said.

KMSS is one of the 70 organisations in Assam spearheading a statewide movement against the bill.

“Besides, there has not been any statement or decision from the Centre about removal of the word Bangladesh from the bill. It is only an opinion of a few members of the JPC. The chairman of the committee may not accept the opinion and send the bill to the Centre without mentioning it,” he said.

Sources said JPC members from All India Trinamul Congress and Biju Janata Dal along with Assam Congress MP Bhubaneswar Kalita suggested removal of the word Bangladesh from the bill.

“If the JPC sends the bill with a note of dissent on use of the word Bangladesh then the government may have some tough time in passing it as it may lead to a debate in Parliament,” Akhil said.

“We have been opposing the bill as it is anti-democratic, unconstitutional and anti-Assam. Even if Assam is safe, we will continue to oppose the bill as it will remain anti-democratic and unconstitutional,” Akhil said.

He said when the constituent Assembly was preparing the Constitution, a member of the Assembly from Maharashtra had made a suggestion similar to what the bill is going to do. “But the suggestion was rejected by the constituent Assembly,” he said.

A 20-member team of National Alliance of People’s Movement will come to Assam to take stock of the situation arising out of the bill and the movement against it. The team will attend a public meeting on Monday at Mandia in Barpeta district and meet intellectuals here on Tuesday.