North East
Chief Ministers from the region in the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the fourth NEDA Conclave in Guwahati on September 9. (Photo Courtesy:@NBirenSingh/Twitter)
• Mizoram and Meghalaya CMs make similar appeals to HM Amit Shah
• Shah says CAB will not affect indigenous rights of NE communities
Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 9
Nagaland State Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio on Monday said the "highly controversial" Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will change the demography of the North East, if it is implemented by the Centre.
Strongly opposing the bill in the presence of Union Home Minister, Amit Shah at the fourth North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) in Guwahati on September 9, Rio said all the North Eastern states had resolved earlier that they would not let the legislation affect the region, according to a report from the PTI news agency.
"We believe it will change the demography of the North East. We need to understand the ground situation," Rio was quoted as saying, further hoping that Shah and the central government would "listen to us.”
Rio also said that the negotiations on the Naga Peace accord were at an advanced stage and informed the state has also formed a joint legislation group hopeful of a “solution very soon,” PTI added. Rio also sought support of all the states of the region to amicably settle the Nagaland issue as it was the "mother of all issues in the Northeast.”
Meanwhile, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, addressing the same event appealed to Shah to take the North East States and its people in confidence if a decision was taken on the controversial legislation.
"This is not the problem of my state alone. All the North Eastern states are concerned about the NRC as well as the Bill," IANS reported, quoting Sangma.
Mizoram Chief Minister, Zoramthanga also made similar appeals to the Home Minister, the report said.
Given the apprehensions expressed by three Chief Ministers from the region, the Union Home Minister and BJP President Amit Shah reportedly made it clear that “the Citizenship Amendment Bill would not affect the rights of the indigenous people of the North East.”
Addressing a conclave, the Home Minister reiterated that the BJP is going to bring back the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) but assured that the government is duty bound to ensure that implementation of the CAB should not impact the existing privileges enjoyed by the northeastern states, informed another (IANS) report.
"We are going to bring CAB but the government is also going to ensure steps that the identity and culture of the indigenous people are secured," Shah was quoted as saying in the report.
Allaying fears from the NEDA regional parties, Shah said that the cut off date for granting citizenship under CAB will be December 31, 2014 and not beyond that, it said.
Shah also reiterated that there is no connection between Article 370 and 371 except the numerical order and added that none of the existing privileges enjoyed by the North East states will be withdrawn, it added.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, popularly known as CAB, is a controversial Bill amending the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make immigrants such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who entered India due to religious persecution from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship.
The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in 2016 and passed during its last term as ‘The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019’ on January 8, 2019.
Pending for consideration and passing by the Rajya Sabha, the Bill lapsed following the dissolution of 16th Lok Sabha.
The NEDA conclave was attended by the Chief Ministers of the North East states, Lok Sabha MPs from the region and leaders of political parties which are partners of the NEDA.
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