AIZAWL, June 28 - The Mizoram Assembly today adopted an official resolution opposing to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, in unison with the consensus of all political parties and major civil societies and student organisations in the state.
The official resolution, moved by state Home Minister R Lalzirliana, impressed upon the Centre that the Bill, if enacted, would be harmful to states like Mizoram where a large number of illegal Buddhist migrants from Bangladesh are residing.
Lalzirliana said the Bill, seeking to make illegal migrants eligible for Indian citizenship on the basis of religion, was against the principles of secularism and �amounted to patronage of some religions�.
The official resolution followed that of the Council of Ministers meeting held earlier on June 12.
Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had been earlier informed by the state government of its objection to the Bill.
The Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 proposes to make illegal migrants of six communities � Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians � eligible for Indian citizenship after six years of residence in the country.
The government, all political parties, including the state BJP unit, and the NGOs opposed the Bill saying if legislated, the amendment will legalise thousands of Buddhists (Chakmas) who have illegally entered the state from Bangladesh.
