DIMAPUR, Oct 12 - The war of words between the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the Opposition Naga People�s Front (NPF) over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill continued with the latter accusing the former of not accepting its shortcomings on the Bill.
The NPF today said instead of accepting its shortcomings, the NDPP is now questioning what the then Chief Minister TR Zeliang was doing when the Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2016.
The press bureau of the NPF, in a release, said that the NDPP must understand that the Bill was proposed in the Lok Sabha on July 15, 2016 and referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on August 12, 2016 when the present Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio, was the NPF Lok Sabha member. �This fact cannot be denied by anyone,� it said.
When Rio himself was the lone Lok Sabha member representing the NPF at that point of time, how can the blame be shifted to the NPF today, the Opposition party questioned.
The NPF said it was Rio�s bounden duty as the MP representing Nagaland to consult the then State Government when the Bill was referred to the JPC.
On Thursday, the NDPP had said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had reiterated in Aizawl on October 5 that the NE States would be protected by incorporating the provisions of the Inner Line Permit system, which is in force in the State, in the proposed Bill.
