Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah discusses Citizenship Bill with northeastern leaders

Members of political parties and civil society organisations from northeastern states met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday to discuss the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

The meetings will take place on two more days - November 30 and December 3 - and will be chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were among those who attended the meeting.

"Attended an important meeting today chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah ji regarding consultation on proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill," the Tripura Chief Minister tweeted.

Earlier today, Congress MPs from the northeast regions and Naga People's Front parliamentarians protested against the proposed Bill. The parliamentarians, holding placards stood in front of the Mahatama Gandhi statue in the parliament premises to register their protest over the bill.

Home Minister Amit 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 Afghanistan, 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 Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.