People vehemently opposing Citizenship Bill: Zoramthanga to PM

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the people of the northeastern state vehemently opposes the passage of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill,, an official statement said Tuesday.

The controversial bill, which has triggered large scale protests in the northeastern states including Mizoram, was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8.

The statement said that Zoramthanga met Modi in New Delhi yesterday and discussed several issues including the opposition to the proposed amendment on the Citizenship Act, 1955.

They also discussed about bamboo projects, Mizoram's separate cadre for all India services and proposed termination of Jet Airways' flights from Aizawl to Kolkata and Guwahati from February 10, the statement added.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, provides for according Indian citizenship to the Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who fled religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India, instead of the 12 years currently, even if they do not possess any document.

A meeting of the state council of ministers on January 10 had expressed regret that the citizenship bill was passed in the Lok Sabha and that the state government should make concerted efforts for the defeat of the bill in the Rajya Sabha.