Dimapur, June 1 (EMN): Better late than never, the Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) on Friday stated that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill of 2016 introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act of 1955 was a matter of serious concern for Nagaland.
A press release from the council stated that ‘once the Bill is passed, it will grant citizenship to people who have come to settle from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.’
“This will pertain to minority communities belonging to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians. The Bill gives opportunity to those religious groups from other countries to return to India and become bona fide citizens of India. The proposed Bill is subjective and communal as it stands for the interest of the Hindus in particular in the context of Indian pluralism overriding secularism.
“Granting citizenship on religious consideration is dangerous and against secular principle of India. Northeast is highly infested by illegal immigrants particularly from Bangladesh and already heavily burden with foreigners’ issue and regularisation of these illegal residents is a direct threat to Northeast political future and the survival of its indigenous people, identity, culture and land,” the organisation stated.
Sensing the possible impact of the Bill particularly on Assam where, according to the NTC, as many as 20 million illegal immigrants are from Bangladesh, the new law will facilitate continuous flow of illegal immigrants to Assam and the neighbouring states.
“The protests of the people of Assam under the aegis of AASU is right on time and deserves support from all indigenous communities in North-East India.
“Assam is our good neighbour and it acts as the gateway to Nagaland. Besides, our border with Assam is and will remain porous. Just as the adage, when Assam gets cold, Nagaland sneezes, Nagaland’s border cannot be sealed from infiltration of those illegal people in the long run. When Assam is flooded with foreigners, Nagaland will become the first victim of the proposed Bill”.
The NTC expressed support to the ‘voices of the indigenous people being raised in Assam and North-Eastern states against the Bill’. 'The NTC urges the government of India to reconsider its policy and not to go against the sentiments of the indigenous population.
“The NTC also lauds the decision of Meghalaya government to firmly oppose Citizenship Amendments Bill, 2016. The NTC fervently urges the state government of Nagaland to oppose the same keeping the popular wishes and interest of the citizens of the state,” the statement read.
