Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) leader and MLA Lalduhoma on Monday said the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 are ‘closely related’.
Lalduhoma said this while addressing a meeting at the ZPM’s office in Aizawl on Monday.
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While coming down heavily on the BJP-led NDA government for imposing the CAA in the country, Lalduhoma said, “The origin of citizenship law lies in the NRC in Assam.”
The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) became an Act after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the bill on December 12, 2019.
The CAA, 2019 came into effect across the country through a gazette notification since January 10, 2020.
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The ZPM legislator claimed more than 19 lakh people including Hindu Bengalis were excluded from the NRC list published in August last year and the CAA was nothing but to soothe public anger in Assam.
“The NRC gave rise to the CAA as the BJP government has to calm down those people whose names did not figure in the NRC list,” he said adding, “The CAA and NRC are closely related.”
The ZPM leader said the country is currently divided into two rival camps.
While one camp, which is in support of the CAA and Hindu Rashtra, wants the government to live long and the other camp, which opposes the new citizenship law, wants the BJP government to step down, he said.
ZPM president Lalliansawta claimed his party has been benefited from the new Citizenship Act, Chakmas, and Bru issues.
He said people were fed up with the Congress and Mizo National Front (MNF), which interchangeably ruled the state for more than 3 decades.
“People want Congress and MNF free government and issues like the CAA, the Chakmas and Brus have benefited the ZPM,” he said.
The ZPM president, however, did not disclose how the party was benefited from such issues.
Sitting ZPM legislator Vanlalhlana, who also spoke at the meeting, said the ZPM will win the next Assembly polls to be held in 2023.
He said all the 7 MLAs belonging to the ZPM would make efforts to strengthen the party so that it wins the next Assembly polls.
The legislator also claimed that ZPM is the only hope of the Mizo people.