The winter session of Parliament will begin on November 18th, 2019 and end on December 13th, 2019. During the session, the Centre is likely to introduce a fresh copy of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill amidst the renewed protest against the Bill in the state.
The Bill seeks to grant Indian citizenship to the people belonging to the Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who have become the victims of religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and entered India on or before December 31st, 2014.
The Bill was passed by the previous Lok Sabha in January 2019 but lapsed in the Rajya Sabha following massive protests in Northeast. The Bill was then referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament.
All Assam Student’s Union and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad have launched statewide protest against the Bill stating that the implementation of the Bill will violate the historic Assam Accord.
Meanwhile, in a bid to protect the interest of tribal citizens, the Meghalaya cabinet has approved the amendment to Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2016 that seeks mandatory registration of outsiders for entering the State.
Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that a special clause will be incorporated in the Bill so that states like Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh is not affected by the settlement of people from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who are granted Indian citizenship.
On the other hand, the Arunachal Pradesh government has constituted a consultative committee to safeguard the rights of the indigenous people of the state in view of the Centre’s decision to revive the contentious Bill.
