Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on December 9th, expressed their gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in regards to an exemption of both the Northeastern states from the purview of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019.
Taking to microblogging site Twitter, Khandu said that he was thankful to PM Modi and Amit Shah. He also mentioned that Arunachal Pradesh is a state-protected by the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BEFR) 1873.
In a massive victory for the Modi government, the Lok Sabha on December 9th, 2019 approved the tabling of the Bill with 293 votes for and 82 votes against it. The Bill which was introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Lok Sabha at 12:30 pm as massive protests were staged across Assam.
On the other hand, Shah told the Lok Sabha that Manipur would be included in the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system, thereby “exempting” it from ambit of the Bill. Singh too took to social media to thanks Modi and Shah for exempting Manipur from the purview of the Bill by bringing in ILP system to the State.
“It is indeed a great day for the state of Manipur. People of Manipur shall always be indebted and grateful to this historic decision of the @BJP4India led NDA Govt,” Singh tweeted.
He added, “The 4 decades old movement of the people of Manipur to protect indigenous culture and identity, which got intensified since 2005, has been heard and resolved today with the wisdom and farsightedness of PM @narendramodi ji & HM @AmitShah ji.”
The ILP is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected/restricted area for a limited period.
Hours before the announcement at the Lok Sabha, Manipur Chief Minister Singh thanked Modi and Shah for the imminent announcement. In a tweet shared at 2:43 pm on December 9th, 2019, he claimed that the people in Manipur were out on the streets to thank the two BJP leaders.
Photo credit: @NBirenSingh
