Citizenship Bill will overshadow Article 371-A : Nagaland Congress

Dimapur, April 26, 2019

The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has criticized the Nagaland State BJP President Temjen Imna Along’s attempt of giving a clean chit to the “misdeeds” of the Deputy Chief Minister, Y Patton, as an insult to all citizens of Nagaland and total disregard to the rule of law.

The NPCC communication department in its press released noted that the “arrogance of power has certainly gone into the heads of BJP leaders where they feel that public are idiots and can be taken for a ride.”

Commenting over the Deputy CM Y Patton wearing a scarf in the same video where “he was also seen casting multiple votes” which the BJP spokesperson “stoutly” denied, stated, “Their apology therefore puts the genuineness of video beyond doubt. Since FIR has already been lodged at Wokha Police Station, State BJP leaders are reminded not to jump the gun or interfere in the process of investigation as Congress will not remain silent spectator to their arrogance and misdeeds.”

According to the NPCC, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) once passed will overshadow Article 371-A while giving free access to immigrants to enter Nagaland after they become Indian citizens.

“No one can stop anyone from settling in any part of the Indian Union so long a person is an Indian citizen. It is a constitutional right guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. Any Act of Parliament passed by both the houses shall not exempt any State in the Country unless it is clearly mentioned in the Act that such States or UT will be exempted from application of the Act under provisions laid down in the Constitution,” it added

“The point of contention raised by Imna Along clearly reflects the intention of PDA Government to fulfil the dreams of BJP-RSS leaving Naga people at their own risk,” accused the NPCC, noting that when the “first decision of PDA Cabinet not to oppose the CAB was conveyed to Union Home Minister by Chief Minister of Nagaland, Rajnath Singh congratulated Rio for taking bold decision against the wishes of his own people and the people of NE India.”

The NPCC, “under public pressure, PDA decided to oppose CAB under the paradigm that Nagas are protected under Article 371-A. For PDA Government, these two issues have to move together because they cannot back out from their earlier commitment made to Central BJP leaders in Delhi,” it maintained.

However, the NPCC called for an open debate on the matter in the presence of “Civil Societies, legal luminaries and retired judges etc to clear the cloud once and for all.”