Citizenship (Amendment) bill will dilute demography of North-East states: Mukul Sangma

Former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Saturday said that if proposed Citizenship (Amendment) bill comes into effect, it will lead to a drastic change in the demography of the North-East region as the "foreigners" staying across India will move to the North-East states for settlement.

"Most of those who were foreigners and were staying in Assam have already migrated to various parts of India. You do not know how many foreigners are staying in the country and out of them how many are eligible to get citizenship if Citizenship Amendment Bill comes," said Sangma.

"They are likely to gravitate in North-Eastern state and dilute the whole demography of the region. They will not gravitate in Rajasthan or Maharashtra," he added.

Sangma and other leaders met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here on Saturday.

Amit Shah is discussing the Citizenship (Amendment) bill with members of political parties and civil society orgsations from northeastern states. The Union Home Minister met leaders on Friday and Saturday while the third meeting is slated for December 3.

Shah had said in Rajya Sabha that the Citizenship (Amendment) bill is needed so that Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian and Parsi refugees, who are being discriminated on the basis of religion in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghstan, obtain Indian citizenship.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8 this year, aims at granting citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghstan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

( With inputs from ANI )