DIMAPUR, June 1 - Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) said today that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 introduced in Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 is a matter of serious concern for Nagaland State.
According to NTC, once the Bill is passed, it will grant citizenship to people who have come to settle from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. �This pertains to minority communities belonging to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians,� the NTC also said.
It expressed that the Bill gives opportunity to those religious groups from other countries to return to India and become bona fide citizens of India. The proposed Bill is subjective and communal as it stands for the interest of the Hindus in particular in the context of Indian pluralism overriding secularism, it added.
The NTC also said that granting citizenship on religious consideration is dangerous and against secular principles of India. According to NTC, the North East is highly infested by illegal immigrants particularly from Bangladesh. Regularisation of these illegal residents is a direct threat to North East�s political future and the survival of its indigenous people, their identity, culture and land.
�The new law will facilitate continuous flow of illegal immigrants to Assam and neighbouring States,� the NTC said.
The protests of the people of Assam under the aegis of AASU is right on time and deserves support from all indigenous communities in North East, it added.
The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) therefore extended its support to the �voices of the indigenous people� being raised in Assam and Northeastern States against the Bill. NTC also urged the Government of India to reconsider its policy and not to go against the sentiments of the indigenous population.
The NTC further fervently urged the Nagaland Government to oppose the Bill keeping the popular wishes and interest of the citizens of the State.
