Reacting to the speech purportedly made by chief minister Neiphiu Rio at the Poanglüm Mini Hornbill Festival at Tuensang on January 12, NPF legislator Imkong L.Imchen has described it as “totally wrong and misleading” the contention that Nagas of Nagaland are protected under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873 and Inner Line Permit(ILP) regulations purportedly to explain the PDA government’s stand on the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016.
Rio had made mention of the above in his speech at the Poanglüm Mini Hornbill Festival at Tuensang on January 12.
Imchen said that ILP was derived from BEFR 1873, also known as Regulation 5 of 1873 in operation in Nagaland but added, the BEFR does not protect Nagas, their identity or interest as was being made out by Rio. Imchen said Rio needed to be educated on the difference between acquiring citizenship of a particular country and obtaining permission for access to a particular region of a country.
He said the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 sought to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955 to provide citizenship to illegal migrants whereas ILP provided access to outsiders for inward travel into Nagaland.
He also pointed out that Dimapur is currently not under the purview of ILP and that citizens of Nagaland know that undocumented immigrants in particular IBIs continue to flood Dimapur district and other interior parts of the state while the chief minister and the PDA government choose to rely on an “unconfirmed hypothesis” about protection under Article 371(A), BEFR 1873, ILP Regulations etc.
Admitting that States were not directly intimated when a draft Bill was proposed for introduction in Parliament, Imchen pointed out that as the then lone MP in the Lok Sabha, Rio should explain what did he do when the draft of the Bill was introduced in July 2016.
Imchen underlined that draft of Bill was introduced in July 2016 when Rio represented Nagaland in the Lok Sabha and passed when Yepthomi represented the State. Imchen said that by trying to shift the blame on NPF, Rio only reflected his true nature.
He further said, when current Lok Sabha member Tokheho Yepthomi of NDPP supported passage of the Bill in Lok Sabha on January 8, the act of PDA in requesting the Centre to review it was a “humiliation and insult” to intelligence of the Nagas.
He said that till date no reply has been given to leader of opposition TR Zeliang who had sought clarification from the chief minister on the issue, through a letter on July 16, 2018.
Furthermore, he said when the Bill was listed by the Assembly secretariat, a request by NPF members for time to discuss it the floor of House refused by speaker Vikho-o-Yoshü.
He also stated that though Rio was of the opinion that the Bill had not yet been passed in the Rajya Sabha and that there was still time to review it, the truth was that the NDA government did not command sufficient majority to pass it in the Upper House.
Imchen further alleged that the State cabinet’s decisions of June 5, 2018 and January 7 were taken out of compulsion to gratify the NDA government at the cost of the Naga people. Hence, Imchen said the State cabinet’s resolution to discuss the matter with all political parties was an “unintelligent proposition” and for which the NPF would not be a party.