Citizenship Bill set to lapse, protesting outfits happy in Tripura

Tribal outfits and other organisations in the BJP-ruled Tripura expressed happiness on Wednesday over the Centre's failure to get the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha on the last day of its session before the general election.

Students' organisations, political parties and individuals opposing the bill said the collective movement of all against the legislation had won.

Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, however, claimed that a section of the people had misled others about the contents of the bill.

The North East Students Organisation (NESO) said the bill was not passed in Parliament since the people of the region and other parts of the country were united against it and supported their fight.

"We got results in our favour due to a unified and joint effort of the people from north-east and other parts of the country. We are grateful to everyone who have supported us," NESO joint secretary Upendra Debbarma told reporters.

The NESO, an umbrella organisation of different student unions in the region opposed to the bill, had observed a bandh in the north-eastern states on January 8.

"We are delighted. Due to the collective movement of various organisations and political parties, the BJP government had no alternative but to let the bill lapse," Tribal Students' Federation (TSF) general secretary Sunil Debbarma said.

Six activists of the TSF had received bullet injuries during an agitation against the bill at Madhabbari in West Tripura district on January 9.

Sunil Debbarma thanked Congress president Rahul Gandhi, JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray and other leaders for their opposition to the bill.

He said the platform, Movement Against Citizenship Amendment Bill (MACAB), of which the TSF is a part, would organise a "victory rally" here on February 18.

MACAB leader Dinesh Debbarma, who is also the Tripura Congress general secretary, said, "We thank everybody for supporting us in our movement."
Biplab Deb said, "Some people were spreading confusion and misleading others. People might be protesting for political benefits."