Citizenship Amendment Bill: Rajnath to hold meeting with CMs of Northeastern states

New Delhi [India], Jan 9 (ANI): Amidst the outcry in the Rajya Sabha over the Citizenship Amendment Bill, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said that he will soon hold a meeting with the Chief Ministers of all Northeastern states for reviewing the current security situation and maintaining peace and security in the region.
"We have received some reports and some members of the House have informed us that some minor incidents of violence were reported in Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya during the Bandh yesterday over Citizenship Amendment Bill," Singh said in the Rajya Sabha.
"The situation is under control now and we are keeping a constant vigil on the current security situation in the northeast. For maintaining peace and harmony in the region, we will take all necessary steps along with the state governments. I am personally in contact with all the chief ministers and will soon have a meeting with them," he added.
Singh assured that the union government will take necessary steps to preserve the hopes and sentiments of the people of Assam and other Northeastern states.
"I would like to assure in the House that to preserve the hopes and sentiments of the people of Assam and Northeast, our government will take necessary steps. The government respects the Assam Accord and it is obliged to take appropriate constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people," he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated a number of developmental projects in Solapur city of Maharashtra on Wednesday, reaffirmed that the 'historic' Citizenship Amendment Bill will not have any adverse impact on the rights of people in the Northeast.
Since the announcement of the bill, the Northeast has been witnessed widespread protest against the bill, with agitators raising demands for it to get scrapped.
Earlier, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader Akhil Gogoi told ANI that if the proposed bill is passed, the Assamese people will become a minority in their own state.
"We are protesting against the bill. If this bill is passed, Assamese citizens will become a minority here. We are totally against the passing of the bill. We demand the government to scrap the bill, else we will take drastic steps," he said.
The bill was recently introduced in the Lok Sabha to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to grant Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who fled religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and entered India before December 31, 2014.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha CPI (M) MP TK Rangarajan on Wednesday moved an amendment in the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019. The bill is aimed at providing 10 per cent reservation to economically-weaker individuals belonging to the general category in education and government jobs
Responding to the opposition's demand to send the quota bill to a select committee, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Singh said that the motion would be taken up for voting once the discussion concludes.
Further, Congress leader Anand Sharma stated: "According to the Press Information Bureau data, the jobs have come down from 11.85 lakhs to 11.31 lakhs in the public sector undertakings (PSUs) of the country."
"After every high tide, there is a low tide. Unfortunately, the Nation is still waiting for the 'Acche Din' promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he added. (ANI)