Bill Is Dead, Long Live The Bill

Firecackers were burst on busy streets across the Northeast. Supporters  of students바카라� organisations and political parties distributed sweets. Ordinary passers-by joined the celebrations, breaking into impromptu jigs. Word had just come from Delhi that the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 had lapsed. The BJP-led government at the Centre did not table it for debate in the Rajya Sabha on the last day of the budget session on February 13. For many in the Northeast, it was a victory after months of protests바카라�sometimes violent바카라�against the bill aimed at providing concessions to non-Muslims from three neighbouring states in getting Indian citizenship. The bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha.

A few days later, BJP president Amit Shah threw down the gauntlet. Again. Addressing a meeting of the BJP바카라�s youth wing in Lakhimpur, Shah said the BJP government will reintroduce the bill to prevent Assam from 바카라�turning into another Kashmir바카라�. This came days after 42 CRPF troopers were killed in Kashmir in one of the worst terrorist attacks in the militancy-hit state. It is debatable if Shah linking the bill to terrorism would translate to votes in the summer Lok Sabha polls. But his comments riled have social organisations in a region historically

opposed to 바카라�illegal immigration바카라�. For the party hoping to take a sizeable chunk of the 25 Lok Sabha seats from the Northeast, including Sikkim, the bill could turn out to be its Achilles heel.

Samuel B. Jyrwa, chairperson of the North East Students바카라� Organisation (NESO), says the region will never accept the bill, which will only add to the 바카라�heavy burden바카라� of immigrants on the Northeast. The NESO is the umbrella group of the student unions in the region and wields considerable electoral influence.

Jyrwa described Shah바카라�s statement as 바카라�an insult to the people바카라�s movement바카라� against the bill. 바카라�바카라�Their (BJP바카라�) design is to reduce the microscopic indigenous communities to a minority by flooding the region with illegal Bangladeshis to achieve their Hindutva objective.바카라�

Faced with stiff opposition from its own allies, the BJP has already decided against contesting in Sikkim, Nagaland, Megha­laya and Mizoram, and leaving the seats to the constituents of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a political front led by the saffron party.

A BJP insider, who didn바카라�t wish to be named, says the party didn바카라�t want to take the risk but to go safe with the NEDA allies. 바카라�The situation in these states is little different and difficult. So we want to adopt the wait and watch policy, at least for these states. We will contest in Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh and we are confident of doing well,바카라� he says.

BJP바카라�s Assam spokesperson Pabitra Margherita says they are not worried about the possible cascade effect of citizenship bill  on the polls  바카라�Our agenda has been clear. It바카라�s development and development alone. So, we are not much worried about what particular sections of people are saying,바카라� Margherita says, adding that the opposition to the bill is due to political ideology. 바카라�On top of that many have even misinterpreted the bill. We have already won the council and panchyat polls. This indicates that the people of Assam are with us,바카라� he vouches with confidence.

The opposition Congress바카라�which has lost all the states in the region over the past few years바카라�sees a chance to regain lost ground. 바카라�This is not about one election. The attitude of Amit Shah and the BJP reflects the sense of frustration,바카라� former Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma says. Sangma바카라�s successor Conrad Sangma of the NPP, a BJP ally, was at the forefront of the anti­-bill protests. In Assam, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) broke its alliance with the BJP last month. But Shah바카라�s belligerent comments indicate that the BJP has not yet given up on the bill that has the support of Hindu immigrants, especially those from Bangladesh.

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• Amit Shah says BJP will reintroduce the bill to prevent Assam from 바카라�turning into another Kashmir바카라�.

• BJP has decided to leave the seats in Sikkim, Nagaland, Megha­laya to its NEDA allies for the LS polls.

By Abdul Gani in Guwahati