NPF welcomes special provision in CAB to protect North East States
A file photo of NPF Central Hq Office in Kohima.
• Hails Mizoram, Meghalaya CMs for firm stand on CAB
• Slams Nagaland CM for ‘taking shelter’ under Article 371(A) and ILP
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 8 (MExN): The Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF) today welcomed the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah’s declaration on Saturday that a special clause would be incorporated into the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in order to protect the interest of the North States, particularly Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
A press release from the NPF press bureau further appreciated Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya and Zoramthanga, Chief Minister of Mizoram for “taking the right stand against Citizenship Amendment Bill from day one.”
“The people-centric outlook of Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya and Zoramthanga, Chief Minister of Mizoram is very much unlike Neiphiu Rio’s myopic belief of taking shelter under Article 371(A) and Inner Line Permit (ILP),” it stated.
The opposition NPF said that the “naive belief of Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio that Nagaland is protected under such provisions has been proved wrong today with the Union Home Minister declaring that a special clause would be incorporated in the Bill to protect the NE States including Nagaland.”
“Without such a special clause, no State is protected under any provisions from the Bill in its present form,” it added.
It further said that the Nagaland CM’s “ignorance of the Bill and its implication with his MP abstaining from attending the Parliament Session when the said Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha is most unfortunate.”
“If the Bill did not lapse in the Rajya Sabha, what would have been the position of Nagaland today? Will Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio and Lok Sabha MP, Tokheho Yepthomi be in a position to protect the Nagas from such a dangerous Act today?” the NPF further questioned.
It meanwhile stated that during the cabinet meetings held on June 5, 2018 and January 7, 2019, the CM and his Cabinet “never opposed the Bill.”
“Later, on January 28, 2019, Rio and his Cabinet took a U-turn and decided to oppose the Bill which however was under the assumption that the State was protected under Article 371(A) and Inner Line Permit (ILP),” it added.
The NPF reminded that during the assembly session in February 2019, their legislators had walked-out in protest against the “infamous resolution on CAB which had clubbed the two constitutional provisions -Article 371(A) and ILP/Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873- with the Citizenship Amendment Bill.”
The same was PDA Government’s resolution and was never accepted as assembly resolution by the opposition Party, it added.
The NPF further said that the party was aware from the beginning that unless a notable clause is incorporated in the controversial Bill, no State in any part of NE India is protected under any provision including Article 371(A) and Inner Line Permit (ILP).
The NPF then observed that It would have done a lot of good, if this problem was identified prior to passing of the Bill by the 16th Lok Sabha on January 8, 2019 wherein the matter could have been resolved amicably if the three States had taken the same stand.
“However, it is better late than never and we welcome the positive announcement aimed towards safeguarding the rights and identity of the indigenous people in NE India,” it stated.
