Meghalaya Guv bats for Citizenship Amendment Bill, says 'should have been done earlier'

Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy on Saturday backed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, saying it is a step in the right direction and asserted that the proposed legislation should have been implemented much before.

"Citizenship Amendment Bill is a step in the right direction. It ought to have been done much earlier. I am sure that the central government will pilot it properly," Roy told reporters here.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill is listed for introduction and passage in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

This Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lower House of the Parliament earlier this year but lapsed with the term of the previous Lok Sabha.

If and when passed by Parliament, it will amend the Citizenship Act of 1955 introducing exceptional provisions for acquiring citizenship for non-Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The opposition parties, including Congress, have opposed the proposed Bill.

On Tuesday, Home Minister Amit Shah had met several politicians and activists of northeastern states including the Chief Ministers of Manipur, Nagaland, and Assam to discuss the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019.