In protest against the Centre’s move to introduce the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) 2016 in Parliament, opposition Members of Parliament from the North Eastern states Friday staged a protest at the Parliament grounds in New Delhi.
Congress MPs– Vincent H Pala, Mukut Mithi, Pradyut Bordoloi, Gaurav Gogoi Abdul Khaleque, Indra Hang Subba of Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, Lorho S. Pfoze and K.G. Kenye of Naga People’s Front and C. Lalrosanga of Mizo National Front were among those who took part in the protest.
The MPs also shot off a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing strong objection to the passing and implementation of CAB in the region.
Urging Modi to exempt the North East from the proposed CAB, they said that if the Bill was implemented across the region, it will leave the indigenous and tribal population vulnerable.
“We collectively believe if such a bill is implemented uniformly across the nation will particularly render the indigenous and tribal population of the North East vulnerable to displacement therefore we urge you to include within this bill a provision which exempts from its ambit the residents of the North Eastern states of Arunachal, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim,” the MPs said in the letter sent to PM Modi Friday.
“All premier NGOs of the region are also of the same opinion. We collectively believe if such a bill implemented uniformly across the nation, it will particularly render the indigenous and tribal population of the northeast vulnerable to displacement,” the letter noted. “Request you to look into the matter seriously and address our concerns at the earliest,” they told the PM.
The Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be holding a series of meetings with chief ministers of North Eastern states and civil society groups, students’ organisations and political parties from the region beginning Friday on plans to amend the Citizenship Act. Shah will be holding discussions with bodies like North East Students’ Organisation, All Bodo Students’ Union and students bodies from Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
The meetings with the chief ministers will be held on Saturday, an official said.
ILP regime states may be kept out of CAB
PTI adds: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram, where Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime is applicable, are likely to be kept out of the purview of the proposed Citizenship CAB, officials said on Friday.
“There is all likelihood that three states — Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram — where ILP regime is prevalent will be kept out of the purview of the CAB. Discussions are ongoing whether the Sixth Schedule areas in the Northeast could also be kept out of the purview of the CAB,” said a senior official engaged in the consultations process.
The ILP regime is under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.
In terms of Section 2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, the Inner Line Permit system is prevalent in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.
A large section of people and organisations in the Northeast have opposed the Bill, saying it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for deportation of all illegal immigrants irrespective of religion.
The Congress, Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a few other political parties have been steadfastly opposing the Bill, claiming that citizenship can’t be given on the basis of religion.
The BJP-led NDA government had introduced the Bill in its previous tenure and got the Lok Sabha’s approval. But the government did not introduce it in the Rajya Sabha, apparently due to vehement protests in the Northeast. The Bill lapsed following the dissolution of the last Lok Sabha.
According to the earlier Bill, those who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, will benefit from the proposed legislation after it becomes an act.
There is a possibility of changes in the cut-off date too, another official said.
The Modi government has listed the Bill in its items of business for the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament and is set to push for its passage.