Sonowal silent during final CAB meeting : MHA official

Home Ministry officials are baffled at the self goal of the BJP in the North East by unleashing the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 just three months before the poll upsetting all calculations of the ruling coalition.

The MHA blamed silence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and prodding of Himanta Biswa Sharma as the reason behind the present chaos as the MHA officials were vehemently opposing the timing of the CAB introduction.

"The opposition should have come from Assam Government but all, including Chief Secretary and the DGP was silent during the crucial meeting, while Himanta Biswa Sharma was prodding" said the MHA official.

The Home Ministry official in private admitted that all was going well for the BJP and till three months ago the CAB was not on table but the BJP took a decision which baffled the officials who were privy to the meetings at the Home Minister level.

"This is completely illogical. The BJP was going so well in the North East and now for a 2 seats in Bengali dominated Barak Valley, they have turned the region into their own graveyard" said the official in frustration.

Troubles for the BJP are expected to mount in the northeastern states as the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday may trigger a negative sentiment ahead of the general elections this year.

In a setback to BJP, the governments of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram, which are ruled by the saffron party's allies, expressed reservations against the bill.

"What was sad part that the opposition should have come from the Assam Government in those meetings and the Union Home Minister was prodding Chief Minister Sonowal's comment on it. But Mr Sonowal astonishingly did not utter a single word. That was a sad part" said the Home Ministry official who was in one of those meetings.

"It was Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma who was all along for the CAB and he promised to crush the protest against the Bill personally using his media machines" said the MHA.