SHILLONG: Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh has denied that the State government is implementing the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that provides Indian citizenship to Hindus who are persecuted in other countries.
During the question hour in the Assembly on Friday, HSPDP legislator Ardent Basaiawmoit cautioned the State government on the enrolment of border residents for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) by the Assam government to accommodate the persecuted Hindus elsewhere.
However, the Home minister in his reply said the State is not aware of any such development.
Basaiawmoit pointed out that the indigenous people of the State will be at the receiving end if the government rehabilitates persecuted Hindus from other countries.
To a query whether the Assam government carried out the NRC enrolment in disputed border areas of the State, the Home minister said the enrolment was carried out only in Assam.
“The Assam government had sent several documents as part of the NRC enrolment to the State to verify the details of persons who had stayed in Meghalaya prior to 1972,” he said.
After Basaiawmoit sought clarity on the matter, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said there is a need for citizens to register themselves under the National Population Register that will enable the authorities to detect illegal immigrants in India.
According to the chief minister, it is an irony that India with 125 crore people does not have a citizen register at a time when “we are dealing with illegal immigration”.
