Will Foil Citizenship (Amendment) Bill If Brought Again: Zoramthanga

AIZAWL/AGARTALA: Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Thursday said if the Central government again brings the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) as a law in future, all political parties, NGOs and civil society of the Northeast would fight unitedly against such efforts.

Zoramthanga, who is also the president of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), appealed to the people, NGOs, churches and political parties to join hands and stand united in case there is a bid to reintroduce the CAB in Parliament.

“The CAB could not move in the Rajya Sabha following the collective protests of the people and all organizations of Northeast India,” he said.

The powerful Mizoram NGO Coordination Committee (MNCC) held a series of agitations including boycott of the Republic Day celebrations and demonstrations across the state in protest against the Bill. The MNF and the Young Mizo Association (YMA) were part of these movements.

In Tripura, the newly-formed Movement against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (MACAB) will hold a victory rally in Agartala on Monday next.

MACAB convener Sridam Debbarma told IANS that though the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government has failed to push through the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, it may try to pass it if it comes back to power in the upcoming general elections. “We should unitedly block this in the upcoming election,” he said.

Major political parties, NGOs and civil society groups are strongly opposing the Bill saying it will have a detrimental effect on the ethnic communities if it becomes a law. (IANS)

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