Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has termed newly-elected Lok Sabha member Tokheho Yepthomi’s reported comment that CAB is not a threat to Naga people as misleading.
In a statement issued, NPCC president K Therie asserted that Tokheho’s assertion is not in the interest of Naga people and warned that he will be held responsible by the future generation.
Therie explained that the proposed amendment does not speak of people who overstay as the government’s objective is to accommodate any person from six religious communities – Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Christians and Sikhs – from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan and make him or her eligible for citizenship, if his or her period of residence is not less than six years.
The NPCC chief said, as per the proposed amendment, even those individuals who had illegally entered India in the past and are staying and fulfil the stated timeframe shall be eligible for Indian citizenship. He asserted that nobody can stop them from enjoying constitutional provisions and entitlements like voting rights, owning properties and legal protection. He warned that they will come in crores within a decade and “we will be submerged under the ocean of these immigrants”.
Referring to Tokheho’s statement that Nagas are not aware of the contents of the Bill, the NPCC president remarked, “We may not be as qualified as he is, but we have read the Bill and we understand each word and meaning.”