Misinformation is being spread over citizenship bill, will talk to allies: Ram Madhav

Madhav said organisations like ULFA are trying to disrupt peace in the state by opposing the bill. He specifically mentioned ULFA(I), the banned insurgent outfit which is opposed to the proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, passed by the Lok Sabha.

The BJP, which seemed to have been pushed to a corner in Assam and rest of the northeast not just by the opposition but several allies who have come out in an open protest over the citizenship bill, is trying to allay their fears.

The bill is pending in the Rajya Sabha and Madhav said till the matter was in Parliament there was no need for the Centre to think about bringing an ordinance even as it was confident of passing the bill (Saumya Khandelwal/HT PHOTO)

Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav said on Thursday he will reach out to other allies over the bill even. He also said “lies and misinformation are being spread” over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, but that there were some “genuine concerns”.

“In the protests, there are some who have genuine concerns and we respect those concerns. But some people are doing it just for political expedience,” Madhav said while addressing a press conference in Guwahati and added, “that an atmosphere is being created where there is a fear of violence breaking out.”

Madhav said organisations like ULFA are trying to disrupt peace in the state by opposing the bill. He specifically mentioned ULFA(I), the banned insurgent outfit which is opposed to the proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, passed by the Lok Sabha.

Both the pro-talk and anti-talk factions of the ULFA are against the proposed amendment. After a low-intensity bomb blast in Guwahati last year, ULFA(I) commander in chief Paresh Barua told local channels that it was triggered as a mark of protest against the proposed amendment.

The bill is pending in the Rajya Sabha and Madhav said till the matter was in Parliament there was no need for the Centre to think about bringing an ordinance even as it was confident of passing the bill. This despite the fact that it does not have a majority in the Upper House.

The recent spate protests over the bill in the northeast have gained momentum since January 7 as the news of the Joint Parliamentary Committee submitting a favourable report came in.

In Assam, the Asom Gana Parishad, which fought the assembly elections in a pre-poll alliance with the BJP pulled out of the government. Allies in other states, the National People’s Party (NPP) in Meghalaya, the Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram, and even the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland have opposed the proposed amendment.

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh said the BJP-led government would oppose the bill if it does not have a clause to protect indigenous people, PTI reported on Thursday.

And in Assam, some BJP MLAs have also come out against the bill.

The BJP general secretary said he has requested the AGP to reconsider its decision and, as of yet, the resignation of its ministers have not been forwarded to the Governor by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Explaining the rationale of the bill, Madhav said how Assam has been lucky to not have been affected by partition. “But if those who suffered during partition, if they face religious persecution, where will they go? They will look to Hindustan,” he said.

Madhav assured the Centre would take all measures to preserve and protect the identity of the indigenous people of Assam as he mentioned the Union government’s recent decision to appoint a committee to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord which he called the “soul of the Assam Accord”.

The committee has failed to take off, with at least five members refusing to join.

Madhav said the bill has December 2014 as the cut-off date for migrants who can apply for citizenship and their claims will be checked by the district administration and vetted by the state government.

Earlier, chief minister Sonowal also tried to address concerns over the bill. “As a son of the soil, I would like to assure everybody that there is no need of being apprehensive in Assam,” he said in a statement.

Sonowal said the BJP government has taken steps to implement clause 6 of the Assam Accord and passed a bill in the Lok Sabha to grant Scheduled Tribe status to six communities from Assam.

The decision to grant ST status, too, has infuriated existing groups. Madhav, however, reassured, existing reservations would not be affected.