Noisy scenes in Nagaland Assembly as NPF seeks passage of anti-CAA resolution

Nagaland Assembly on Saturday witnessed noisy scenes, as opposition NPF protested against the newly amended Citizenship Act, and insisted that an anti-CAA resolution should be passed in the House, taking a cue from states such as Kerala and Bengal. Rejecting the demand of the Naga People's Front (NPF), Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton iterated that the law would not affect the Nagas, as states with Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime have been exempted from its purview.

Opposition Leader T R Zeliang, along with NPF MLAs Chotisuh Sazo and Chumben Murry, during a discussion on matters of public importance, however, reasoned that the ILP would not impede influx of illegal immigrants. Zeliang also said that Assam, the gateway to the northeast, had not been entirely exempted from the purview of the law, making Nagaland, with its porous borders, susceptible to illegal infiltration.

"Let us study the case and find out if the Centre is truly planning to accord citizenship to the persecuted. If that is the case, why only three countries -- Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan -- have been included in the law? Why not people from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and the Buddhists from Tibet?

"Does this Act truly stand for what the central government claims, or is it a law to garner votes," he said.

The senior NPF leader also stated that immigrants in Assam, once granted citizenship, could find their way to other states in the northeast.

"Who can stop people in Assam, granted citizenship by the powers vested in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, from making their way into our state?" Zeliang said.

Patton contended that Nagas were fully protected and an anti-CAA resolution was unnecessary. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in December, had given assurances that the law would not have any impact on the people of the state, he said, adding that the "state appreciated the Centre's move".