Dimapur, Jan. 28 (EMN): The Nagaland cabinet on Monday asserted that the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government remains opposed to, and rejects, the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
In the backdrop of numerous Naga civil organisations raising their voices against the Bill, the cabinet held a meeting on Monday to discuss “this issue at length.”
According to the minutiae of the meeting, made available by the DIPR, “The PDA government assures the people of Nagaland that the state government will leave no stone unturned to constantly protect the rights and privileges of the people and we will continue to undertake measures to further strengthen safeguards for our people.”
It stated that the PDA government, through the cabinet, has always held the view that Nagaland is protected under Article 371 (A) and the ILP regulations in that any person who acquires Indian citizenship through the Citizenship Amendment Bill, if passed in Parliament, will be ineligible to acquire property or settle down in Nagaland.
“The State Government has from the very beginning expressed its opposition on (sic) the CAB and has also conveyed the same to the government of India (GoI). The state cabinet in its meeting held on 7th January, 2019 took the decision to appeal to the GoI to review the Bill before final passage in Parliament. Furthermore, the state cabinet in its meeting held on 18th January, 2019 reaffirmed its stand that Nagaland is protected under Article 371 (A) and the chief minister had written to the Union home minister informing the GoI on the cabinet decision.
“The state cabinet in acknowledging the genuine concern of all the north eastern states expressed solidarity with our neighbouring states and accordingly the state government had written to the GoI on 18.01.2019 appealing to the Centre to have wider consultations with all north eastern states to ensure that the rights of the indigenous people of the region are fully protected,” it read.
The state cabinet also decided in its Jan. 7 meeting that a consultative meeting of all sections including tribe hohos, NGOs, civil societies, political parties, prominent citizens and all stakeholders would be held to form a consensus so that the stand and approach of the state government would reflect the will and desire of the people. “In this connection, the state government had decided to appeal to all sections to positively participate in the consultations with views and suggestions in the greater interest of our people.
“The state cabinet reiterated the decision taken on its meeting held on 18th January 2019 that had taken the decision to refer the matter to the Standing Committee of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on Article 371 (A) so that we can undertake measures to further strengthen the rights and the interests of the people.”
It also observed that with the ongoing political negotiations between the government of India, the NSCN and the NNPGs undergoing a crucial stage, it is pertinent that appropriate measures are undertaken to ensure that the peace talks are not hampered in any manner and likewise any decision to impact the political scenario should be avoided at all costs.
