Former Arunachal CM urges PM to reconsider citizenship bill

Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Nabam Tuki has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the Centre's decision on introducing the citizenship bill, for the "greater interest" of the indigenous people of the north east.

In a letter to Modi, Tuki said the passage of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha and the developments relating to it in the north east states are a matter of "serious concern".

"The hurry in which the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha in the wake of the ensuing Parliament elections, neglecting the rights, privileges and sentiments of the indigenous people of north east is something which was avoidable at this time," the Congress MLA said.

"The Union government should have been more sensitive to the people of north east due to their separate origin, identity, nature, culture and demography," Tuki pointed out in the letter addressed to the PM on Monday.

He said the protected tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and other north east states cannot be subject to "unrest and intimidation due to the largesses' of the government" without understanding the consequences and social, cultural and demographic imbalances, which would be detrimental to the existence of the region.

The bill, which was passed by the Lower House on January 8, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, after six years of residence in India even if they do not possess any documents.

On Tuesday, 10 political parties, most of which are members of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), along with the saffron party's key ally in Bihar, the JD(U), unanimously decided to jointly oppose the bill.