CAB is highly controversial: Nagaland CM in NEDA meet

Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the government intended to expel all illegal immigrants not just from Assam but the entire country even as he assailed the Congress for alienating the northeast from the rest of the nation.

Addressing the fourth conclave of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) in Guwahati, Shah said, "Our intention is to expel illegal immigrants from the entire country and not just Assam."

While most of Shah's speech was centered on illegal migrants, the chief ministers of Nagaland and Meghalaya expressed apprehensions regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) and requested the Home Minister to take all states from the region into confidence before bringing in the legislation again.

Speaking at the NEDA conclave, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said the "highly controversial" Citizenship (Amendment) Bill would change the demography of the Northeast.

"We believe it will change the demography ofthe Northeast. We need to understand the ground situation," Rio said. Rio alsosaid that the negotiations on the Naga Peace accord were at an advanced stage. Weare hopeful of a solution very soon. We have also formed a joint legislationgroup,"

On his part, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma told Amit Shah that the Northeast had fears regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and asked if the Centre would bypass discussions with the states before reintroducing the Bill. What will happen after the CAB? Will people continuously come from Bangladesh? Will there be any deadline or continuous flow? We in Northeast have such fears,"

Requesting the Centre to invite allstakeholders to discuss and arrive at a consensus over the issue, Sangma urgedShah to look into the interests of the people of the Northeast.

"We are under the sixth schedule. So will theCAB overlook local laws? Please invite us and look into the interests of thepeople of the Northeast. Remove our fears. I believe you (Shah) will take careof our fears," Sangma told Shah.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga, however,was more forthcoming on the issue and requested Amit Shah to exclude theNortheast from the purview of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. He further saidall political parties that supported the contentious bill were on the "verge ofsuicide".

"If at all, it (the bill) has to be implemented, then please see if the Northeast can be excluded from it. I request you to look into the vulnerability of the region. The Citizenship Bill is a very very sensitive issue here. In most of the states where political parties supported it, they are on the verge of suicide,"

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8 but was not tabled in the Rajya Sabha. It provided for according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after seven years of residence in the country, even if they do not possess any document.