Nagaland State Assembly should reject Citizenship Bill — Therie

Dimapur June 26 (EMN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president, K Therie opined that Nagaland State Assembly should reject the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill of 2016 the bill was discriminatory in nature.

In a press release received here on Tuesday, the state Congress supremo considered the matter as serious, which will harm the society and nation for time to come and said that Nagaland State Assembly should out rightly reject the bill as it was not only discriminating the Muslim religion but other neighbouring nations as well. He also said that India cannot afford to isolate itself and Nagaland cannot afford to be a part of such a discriminatory bill.

Therie said supporting such a bill without deliberation in the State Assembly was a serious breach of confidence of the people.

He also stated that ‘the Citizenship Bill will only worsen the splintering of the nation on the lines of religion as the hidden agenda in the bill was to favour Hindutva, which will be become a permanent stain in the society.’

“We are a secular society; more so, we are a Christian society and cannot be a party to discrimination. Supporting such a Bill will reflect Nagaland as unbecoming of a Secular as well as a Christian Society”, he said.

He also added that the founding fathers of the state introduced Inner Line Permit (ILP) in order to safeguard Nagaland, which functions in a manner of passport; a temporary permit and which has no relation with citizenship bill. Rather, GON Office Memorandum (OM) of 1976 in respect of Indigenous Inhabitants was relevant in the case of Nagaland. The said OM is in line with the provisions of Art 371(A), he said.

Further, Therie appealed to legislators to consider the bill seriously.