Dimapur, May 26 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has welcomed an open debate on the issue of Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in the presence of all political parties, civil societies and legal luminaries.
In a press release, NPCC President K Therie today called all the Nagas to “once and for all take a stand collectively and on consensus, so that the central government would leave out Nagaland from the purview of this Bill as there is no relation between CAB and Art 371(A).”
The release maintained that in their political analysis, “we did not see we are safe under Citizenship Amendment Bill. Therefore, we have raised our voice on the issue of CAB during the 2019 Lok Sabha Election. However, the mandate was in favor of CAB (NDPP+BJP) with a thin margin.”
It reiterated that the whole CAB issue has been a “vote bank politics” and the BJP has reaped its benefits in the recently concluded Parliamentary election.
Despite the North-East’s united protest against the Bill, the BJP having no regard for the sentiments of the region, “boldly reiterated during their campaign in Assam that they would pass the Bill should they be voted to power,” it added.
Further, Therie asserted that BJP was “not worried about Hill States’ objection” to CAB for “our numbers hardly matter to them.”
“What should be in focus is the long term objective of the Bill which is clearly to submerge the political rights and identities of the tribals and the region in time to come,” it stated.
Qouting Himanta Biswa Sarma reported admission that there are "more than 8 Lakh Hindu Bengalis in Assam, the actual numbers could be larger, who would be granted citizenship,” the release maintained that the number "31,313 quoted as reference for the number of people who would benefit from CAB 2016, is utterly misguiding.”
The issue, if not handled with wisdom “could be the start to an end of the Nagas and our indigenous status,” Therie further stated. “The demography will be changed and our religion, identity, culture and social practices will vanish in the overcrowded population with time.
