Agartala: The Union home ministry’s decision to extend citizenship pathways to select religious minorities has backfired in Tripura, where both the ruling BJP’s coalition partner TIPRA Motha and the opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) have denounced the move as a conspiracy that prioritises political calculations over constitutional principles.The order, issued on September 1 under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, exempts Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian people from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan from legal action if they entered India without valid documents or with valid but expired documents before December 31, 2024.At a press conference over the weekend, TIPRA Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma announced his party’s complete rejection of the citizenship amendment policies. “TIPRA Motha will never support the Citizenship (Amendment) Act,” Debbarma declared.Later, speaking to The Wire on September 9, Debbarma elaborated on his party’s firm opposition to the citizenship order. “We will never accept this order. The government earlier extended the deadline to December 31, 2014, which we had opposed then. Now they have extended it further to December 31, 2024. Our position is clear – we will not accept any of these extensions,” Debbarma stated.Under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act that went into force early last year, undocumented immigrants from the aforementioned religious groups from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan are eligible for Indian citizenship if they entered India on or before December 31, 2014, and are required to have resided in the country for five years as opposed to the general requirement of 11 years.The Hindu quoted a senior official as clarifying that while the September 1 order does not extend the citizenship eligibility cutoff date by ten years, it was issued to enable those undocumented immigrants “who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution” to apply for long-term visas, which are a precursor to citizenship.The TIPRA Motha leader also demanded strict action against all persons who migrated to India without legal documentation after 1971. “Our stand is simple – identify all those who came after 1971 and send them back to where they came from. This is what we have always demanded.”Debbarma recalled that his party has been actively protesting the issue across the state. “We are fighting this battle on multiple fronts. Today itself we organised protests across the state, including in Dhalai district, and this evening we held a torch rally here in Agartala to register our protest,” he said.The MLA also alleged that undocumented immigrants had acquired government jobs in Dhalai district. “I have concrete evidence that 11 people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh are working in government jobs in Dhalai district alone. One of them is even a Tripura Civil Services officer. I have submitted all the documents and proof to the district magistrate and collector,” Debbarma told The Wire.He continued: “What is shocking is that despite submitting solid proof and evidence, absolutely no action has been taken. No task force has been formed, nobody has been arrested. The government is maintaining complete silence on this matter.“We will never allow infiltrators to enjoy the rights that belong to us. They have no place on our land and must be removed [sic].”Immigration order a contradiction in govt’s policy: CPI(M)’s Jitendra ChaudhurySpeaking to The Wire, CPI(M) politburo member and leader of opposition in the Tripura legislative assembly Jitendra Chaudhury attacked the BJP-led Union government, describing the latest home ministry order as part of a broader conspiracy to manipulate electoral demographics.Chaudhury pointed to what he said is the contradictory nature of government policy, noting that while Union home minister Amit Shah speaks of deporting ‘infiltrators’, his own administration has allowed more foreigners to legally live in India without documentation and potentially acquire citizenship in the future.“This is completely ridiculous and contradictory. The government creates confusion by talking about extensive corrections to voter lists while simultaneously extending pathways for citizenship acquisition”, Chaudhury told The Wire, referring to the special intensive revision of the voter rolls in Bihar, which the BJP has endorsed as a way of disqualifying undocumented immigrants as electors.He however alleged the Bihar revision is a conspiracy by the BJP to win the upcoming assembly election in the state.The CPI(M) leader also accused the government of constitutional subversion, arguing that no law should be made for specific religions. He warned that the policy would create dangerous precedents and called for the complete cancellation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.Regarding undocumented immigration into Tripura, Choudhury said: “We cannot neglect the fact that infiltration has occurred in this state in the past and is still happening in some areas [sic].“Taking advantage of the BSF [Border Security Force]’s laxity and middlemen in some government offices, infiltrators illegally obtain citizenship, Aadhaar cards and PRTC [Permanent Resident of Tripura Certificate] documents even before they set foot in India. They then purchase land and flats in Agartala,” he alleged.He continued: “The numbers may not be in the thousands, but we all want this to be stopped.Chaudhury warned that without careful handling, “misunderstandings will begin among the state’s people”.At the same time, the CPI(M) maintained that legal action should be taken against all individuals who have entered the country illegally since 1971, regardless of their religious affiliation.“The CPI(M) demands that legal action be taken against all who have infiltrated the state or country after 1971,” Chaudhury stated to The Wire.