DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 5 (MExN): Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president on Thursday said there were no differences between the delegates from Nagaland that met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on December 3 in Assam House at Delhi in connection to the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).
A press statement issued by NPCC president K Therie said the Nagaland delegates who met the Shah on CAB was comprised of NNDP, BJP, NPF, Congress, ANGBA, NTC, ENPO and NSF.
Before meeting the union minister, the Nagaland delegates unanimously decided to appeal to exempt Nagaland from the purview of CAB. Excepting Congress, every one spoke demanding exemption, including Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Leader of Opposition TR Zeliang. Congress did not speak in the meeting as it was unanimous on the demand to exempt Nagaland from the purview of CAB, the NPCC president stated.
Chairman NEDA and minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma who was conducting the meeting intervened after the CM’s speech and imposed that CAB will be implemented all over the nation including NRC. In the case of Nagaland, the basis of granting citizenship would be ILP in addition to other qualifications required in the format. He said ILP number will be required to grant citizenship for which a column will be provided in the format where the applicant will be required to refer and mention the ILP number.
NPF spokesperson Theja Therie intervened and stated that ILP being a temporary travel permit for 15 days, it does not have numbers. To this, NEDA chairman replied “your government has to make the numbers,” to which Rio welcomed the decision.
TR Zeliang sought time to further explain but Shah without hearing him, ‘asked him not to politicize,’ the NPCC president stated. He however said the one saving grace was that both Shah and Sarma assured to send the draft Bill to Nagaland for further consultation.
