Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Saturday told Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was on his maiden visit to the state, that the people of Mizoram are opposed to the proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, an official statement said.
Zoramthanga further warned that the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 could open a "floodgate of illegal immigrants" in Mizoram. Zoramthanga met Amit Shah at the Raj Bhavan in Aizawl where the two leaders discussed several issues.
The Mizoram Chief Minister had also brought up the issue of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill while delivering a speech at the fourth Conclave of the Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA) on September 9.
Read More: Mizoram Protesters Demand Amit Shah to Withdraw ‘CAB’ Immediately
Opposing the implementation of the Bill, Zoramthanga expressed that the “is a very sensitive issue” for the people of the Northeast. He further warned that ‘regional parties’ who have supported it, have committed political suicide. “Northeast should be excluded from the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill”, he told the gathering, of which Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also a part.
[caption id="attachment_42187" align="alignnone" width="561"] Scenes from a protest[/caption]
Earlier today, protesters hit the streets of Aizawl carrying banners exhorting the ruling NDA administration to leave Mizoram and other Northeast Indian states outside the ambit of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
Read More: Amit Shah Inaugurates North East Handloom and Handicraft Exhibition in Mizoram
Carrying banners with strong messages such as ‘you behave like the British many years ago’, ‘don’t try and exploit our land, no hidden agenda please’, the citizens concerned about the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill have exhorted the BJP to reconsider implementing the Bill here as it could have disastrous ramifications on the people of the Northeast Indian states. Protesters spread around the kilometer long street between AR Ground and Treasury Square, holding aloft the banners and placards.
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