Modi sounds NE poll bugle, touches upon NRC, Citizenship Bill

Earlier governments ignored Manipur and the northeast. But Delhi is at your doorstep now. NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister

SILCHAR / IMPHAL: Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched upon the issues of the Citizenship Bill and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) during his visit to the northeast on Friday, virtually kicking off the Lok Sabha campaign of the Centre’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the region.

Modi addressed a rally in Silchar in Barak Valley, which has two Lok Sabha seats and where voices demanding the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill are the loudest. The bill is facing resistance in the Assamesespeaking Brahmaputra valley. “It (the Bill) is connected to the emotions and lives of people. It is not for the benefit of anyone but a penance for the injustices done in the past,” he said.

The Citizenship Bill has been introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955. On Thursday, the bill was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. It seeks to grant citizenship to people from minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — who are escaping persecution in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh after six years of residence in India instead of 12, even if they do not possess any proper document.

“Where will a persecuted person anywhere in the world having faith in Mother India go? Does the colour of the passport matter only and not any blood relation?” Modi asked.

On the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC), which too has become controversial for excluding around 4 million persons in Assam, Modi said “no Indian citizen” will be left out of the NRC. “Your sacrifice has been the biggest strength”.

NRC, which was first prepared for Assam in 1951, is being updated at the insistence of the Supreme Court. The register is aimed at distinguishing the state’s citizens from illegal immigrants, mostly from Bangladesh.

Earlier in the day in Manipur, Modi inaugurated eight projects and laid the foundation stone for four others, together valued at nearly ~1,500 billion. “Earlier governments ignored Manipur and the northeast. But Delhi is at your doorstep now. I myself have visited northeast nearly 30 times in the past 4-1/2 years,” he said in Imphal, which wore a deserted look due to a total shutdown by armed groups against the PM’S visit. The BJP aims to win a lion’s share of the Lok Sabha seats in the North-east. Less than two weeks ago, Modi inaugurated the Bogibeel Bridge in Assam.