NECCC to talk to RS members on citizenship bill

The North East Congress Coordination Committee (NECCC) comprising representatives of all the state units of the party in the region on Wednesday resolved to talk to Rajya Sabha members to prevent passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Upper House of Parliament.

The NECCC at a meeting held here took the resolution that it would take help of all Rajya Sabha members opposed to the Bill to prevent it from becoming an Act during the next session, according to a release issued by the Committee.

The Congress would also convey the inherent dangers of the Bill to those members of the Upper House who may be undecided on the issue.

The Bill has been already passed in the Lok Sabha.

"A determined stand by a united opposition prevented its passage in the Rajya Sabha during the recently concluded session of Parliament. But the danger is not yet over as the NDA government would try to get it passed in the Rajya Sabha in the next session, which will be the last before the General elections," the release said.

This will be catastrophic for the people of the North East, and Assam in particular, and must be averted at all costs, it said.

It was claimed that the attempt to grant Indian citizenship to certain groups based solely on their religion was blatantly communal and, therefore, unconstitutional.

The Bill which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan has triggered protests in the northeast.

If enacted as Law, the Bill will nullify Clause 5 of the Assam Accord of 1985, which provides the safeguard of detecting and deporting all illegal immigrants of the post-1971 period, be they Muslims or Hindus.

The NECCC also pointed out that if passed in Rajya Sabha, the Bill will also render the ongoing NRC process absolutely meaningless, the release added.