Modi, Shah likely to visit NE in February

NEW DELHI/SHILLONG: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national head Amit Shah are likely to visit the North East next month as the region witnesses violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
The visit comes at a time when the BJP’s northeastern alliance is sailing in choppy waters with 10 regional parties coming together to oppose the bill. In fact, chief ministers of the northeastern states, including Conrad Sangma, are scheduled to meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday.
They have also made a request to meet the Prime Minister on the matter and are awaiting a response.
It is, however, not clear what stand the chief ministers of BJP-ruled Assam, Manipur and Tripura will take during the meeting.
BJP party sources in the Capital said Modi will visit Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in mid February.
Shah will be in Assam around the same time to address public rallies, and more significantly, hold cluster meetings with different interest groups in the state.
The sources also said Shah’s visit was planned as part of his travel programmes related to preparations for the upcoming general elections later this year but the timing was of course significant. Modi’s itinerary was also fixed earlier, they added.
The united stand of the satraps in the North East against the bill has worried the BJP top brass.
Speaking to the media in Shillong, Sangma, who left for Delhi on Thursday, said the Centre must reach out to people on the bill to clarify its details.
“The government at this juncture must not go ahead with the bill and they should sit with everybody and have a discussion on the bill,” the chief minister said, adding that the bill is against their ideology of protecting the indigenous tribe as it would make it easier for illegal immigrants to enter the country and the region.
Sangma maintained that Article 371(A) or the Sixth Schedule “will not serve the purpose and there has to be something more concrete”.
The chief ministers are going to Delhi at the invitation of the Centre for talks on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
But the time of the meeting is yet to be decided in view of the ongoing Parliament session and the Budget presentation on Friday.