AAPSU raises objections to Citizenship (Amendment) Bill

Itanagar, May 11 (PTI): The All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) has raised objection to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, saying if the Bill is passed, it will have large-scale ramifications for Arunachal Pradesh, a 100 per cent tribal state.

Senior AAPSU leaders attended the meeting with the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 at Shillong yesterday and also submitted a written submission to it, an AAPSU statement said today.

A key amendment in the Bill seeks to grant citizenship to people without valid documents from minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India.

AAPSU General Secretary Tobom Dai said the Bill would serve as a legal basis for legitimising the claims of Chakma & Hajong refugees as the indigenous populace of the state.

Chakmas and Hajongs are Buddhists and Hindus respectively.

Dai said the Bill will also defeat various other regulations currently in force in the state.

He had urged the JPC to be more sympathetic towards the indigenous communities of the North Eastern states and requested it to visit Arunachal Pradesh to know the ground realities.

The general secretary of the influential students’ body also warned of large scale agitation across the state if the Centre goes ahead with the Bill.

While welcoming the decision of Conrad Sangma-led Meghalaya government to oppose the Bill, the AAPSU questioned the stance of the Arunachal government on the issue.

“We urge the state government to display seriousness and take a bold stand against the proposed Bill,” Dai added.