Nabam Tuki: Citizenship Amendment Bill will lead to illegal settlement issues

Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki in New Delhi,on Saturday expressing his concern on the Citizenship Amendment Bill said that if illegal immigrants are given citizenship based on religion then their population will boost across many states leading to settlement issues.The Citizen Amendment Bill (CAB) seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after seven years of stay in the country even if they do not possess necessary documents. 

Read:Congress delegation, Manipur MLAs meet Sonia Gandhi over CAB and NRC

"We oppose Citizenship Amendment Bill because if illegal immigrants are given citizenship based on religion, the population will spread across many states. Which state will give them land?" said Nabam Tuki after attending a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Read:Anti-CAB bandh passes off peacefully in Nagaland

Amit Shah meets NE stakeholders

The Union Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah met the political parties and civil society organizations from Tripura, Mizoram, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Nagaland to discuss the Citizenship (Amendment), Bill. The meetings were scheduled on November 29, 30 and December 3. On Friday morning, however, parliamentarians from the Congress and Naga People's Front protested against the Citizenship Amendment Bill.  An 18-hour bandh was called in Nagaland to protest the proposed tabling of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) during the Winter session of the Parliament.

Amit Shah addresses the CAB

Addressing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8 this year, Amit Shah in the Republic Summit said, "In that bill (CAB) people from three countries Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who are Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, Christian those who come to India seeking asylum will be welcomed. It is not about Hindu and Muslims, these three countries are Islamic countries and the count of the minority in those countries has seen a drastic fall of 20 to 30 percent. Minorities in these three countries are tortured, forced to convert their religion, and minority women are not treated well. So in this case, if they are willing to come to India to seek asylum, they will be considered as refugees and not intruders."

Read: Amit Shah to meet NE stakeholders to discuss Citizenship Bill

Read: NRC won't cause difference between Hindus & Muslims; all will have to prove: Amit Shah