Face of Nation : Union Minister Amit Shah today hinted that after Assam, the government’s plan to locate and weed out illegal immigrants will be taken across the country. Amid a huge discontent in Assam over the citizens’ registry, in which 19 lakh people have been left out, the minister said yesterday that the centre will throw “every single illegal immigrant” out of the country.
The minister also assured that the centre had “no plan to abrogate the Article 371” of the constitution, which gives north-east its special status.
“All states are worried about the NRC the national register of citizens),” Mr Shah said today during his two-day visit to the northeast. “Assam thinks NRC was wrong, smaller states felt there would be a spill over. Let me assure, not only Assam, we want the entire country to be cleansed of illegal migrants. We already have a plan ready. We will bring all states into confidence,” he said today.
“Let me clarify this. (Articles) 370 and 371 has no relation. The citizenship bill will not hurt 371, the government of India will ensure it. We will ensure it does not infringe our tribal laws,” he said, referring to the government’s plan to bring a bill that will grant Indian citizenship to members of six minority communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan even if they do not have valid documents.
