Ongoing protests over the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Northeast India and several parts of West Bengal has adversely affected the preparations for Christmas celebrations in the region with markets in Christian dominated areas of the state witnessing a sharp decrease in sales over the ongoing period.
The markets which once used to be flooded with buyers at this time of the year are witnessed a fewer number of buyers at Khumulwng on Saturday, with traders posing hope on the coming weekend for a surge in business.
"The people from northeast used to come in this market, but due to agitations only a few are able to come now," Ajay Reang, a trader from Khumulwng market told this website.
Another trader who wished to remain unnamed, echoed similar sentiments and said that they were receiving less number of customers this year.
"We had invested huge capital to get a good business this year on Christmas. But the situation is very bad, only a few customers are coming from the hills", he said.
According to the traders, their business has witnessed drastic slowdown this year while the same would reap them great benefits over past years.
The Parliament had passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 last week and it became an act after receiving assent from President Ram Nath Kovind. Since then, protests have erupted in various regions of the country. Though the intensity of protests have slowed down manifold, the tenacity is still visible in the markets of indigenous pockets of the state.
The act seeks to grant Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
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