NEW DELHI – The second day of protests on Saturday tainted Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s visit to northeast India where proposals to change anationality law have sparked outrage.
Protesters waved black flags and burned effigies of the Hindu nationalistprime minister while some students staged a nude protest outside the stategovernment complex in the Assam capital of Guwahati.
Media reports said the nude protesters were detained while Assam studentgroups said police baton charged another group of activists.
Black flag protests — considered a strong insult — greeted Modi when hearrived in Guwahati on Friday night to start the tour of Assam, ArunachalPradesh and Tripura as he prepares to call a national election.
His nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has faced a severe backlash inthe region over a proposed change to a 1955 citizenship act which wouldgive Indian nationality to Hindus and other minorities who have fled theneighbouring Muslim countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Assam, a state of 33 million, has been plagued by decades of tensionsbetween local tribal and indigenous groups and settlers from outside,including many Muslims and Hindus from nearby Bangladesh.
Modi insisted that his government will ensure that the amended law does notharm Assam and neighbouring states however.
Addressing one public rally, he said the bill, which still needs approvalfrom India’s upper chamber, was a “national commitment” to the minorities.
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“The passage of the bill will ensure that those people who… love India morethan their lives will be accommodated in India. It is a responsibility ofIndia to accept those people,” he said.
Modi said citizenship will only be granted after thorough checks on eachapplicant.
While groups in Assam want to block all outsiders, human rights activistshave condemned the government law for not covering Muslims. They say itwill be the first time religion has been a criteria for nationality inIndia, which is officially secular.
Last year the Assam government released the first draft of a statecitizens’ register that rejected four million mainly Muslim residents whowere unable to prove they were living in the state before 1971, whenmillions fled Bangladesh’s war of independence.
Modi said that his government was speeding up efforts to seal theIndia-Bangladesh border.
An election is expected to be called for April-May and the BJP’s hopes inthe northeastern states have been badly damaged by the new law, analystssaid. – APP/AFP
