 Hello and welcome to Newsclick. Today, we have with us member of Lok Sabha from Tripura, Jitendra Chaudhary. We will discuss the recent bill that has been in front of the parliament regarding what would be called citizenship. Why is it that the shall we say the reaction in northeast, the northeastern states has been much sharper against the citizenship bill than the rest of the country? What explains this division? Shall we say the sharper reaction? Actually, this bill and which objective it has been conceived, and if it becomes law and implemented, it will have far-reaching impact to the country culturally, economically and politically, not only the northeast across the country. The impact would be manifold in northeast. Why? There you know that since northeastern region, the very particularly the Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, other states also geographically, it is very close to Bangladesh and for the centuries, the culturally and in other aspect that were together. So, after the partition, when Tripura joined with the Indian Union in 1949, so, there the what will say migration other thing, demographically it has already impacted a lot. The demography has changed. Yeah, changed. In Tripura once upon a time, the tribals were the majority. It has just outnumbered and again, not only after 47 or 49 in the 70s, when the Bangladesh liberation war take place. That time also, what then the population of Tripura, that number of refugees, that took shelter and a sizable number of people, it is believed, not only believed is fact, that they remain. Then after in 1971, the Indira Mojib Accord was signed that till the midnight of March 24 of 1971, whoever migrated this site or that site, they will be, their citizens will be agreed by both the nation, both the country. And similarly, that thing has been accepted by the people of Northeast and in 1985, while the Assam Accord was signed between Government of India and the agitator in Assam and same that Indira Mojib Accord it was once again agreed. 71 was the basis of the cut update. Now, if the present what will say, what will say the what the proposition has been made Modi government's proposal that till 31st December, 2014, whoever came and that is decided here, six years, they will be provided with this rent ship, though it is talked about the only the six religious group. So, nationally except the BJP, even some parties aligning with the BJP, they are also opposing because our constitution does not permit that on religious line, not only citizenship, nothing could be decided in this country. So, it is totally ignoring the spirit of the constitution. It is one hand. Secondly, for the Northeast, what you ask very particularly that if it happens, what will happen that in Bangladesh also there the fundamental groups are very active. They are also trying to have that is a indulge into the atrocities upon the minorities there. In Bangladesh, minorities are who are there, the Hindus and the Buddhists. Buddhists there. So, they will be encouraged to indulge more this kind of thing, what the RSS BCP is doing against the minorities in India. So, internationally that will create the political crisis and more people will be attracted to come into the influx into this region and it will have further impact to the socially, culturally, economically, politically in this region. So, that is why the reaction of the population of the Northeastern region, it is not only any particular community, entire population of Northeast is very sharp. If we have seen from Assam to Meghalaya, various of the states including Tripura now, this resistance is growing. You see, Meghalaya government, they are one regional party, they are the main, this is what I will say, this constituent of the government and BJP also aligning with them. So, that Meghalaya government is the first government to adopt resolution in their cabinet meeting and their assembly also. Then the Mizoram government, newly elected government, they also took the resolution in Assam, the AGP, constituent of the BJP there, they left now. And in Tripura, almost all the political party and social group because the people of Northeastern region were forcing that the immediate impact and how in long run it will have the far-reaching impact. So, that is why the reaction in Northeast is very sharp. You talked about Tripura for instance, recently there were firings and clashes on this issue with the IPFT and IPFT has been a partner of the BJP in the last election. So, how is this shaping up? So, there in Tripura you see this one, this Northeastern Student Organization, that is one of the umbrella organization of the all student wing of the regional political parties. So, when the Modi government in their cabinet took the decision that it will be introduced in on 8th in the parliament, that they shall they declared the bond. So, in Tripura the student wing of the IPFT, the early of the BJP there, the coalition government, they are student wing the TSF, then the student wing of the INPT, another group, another faction and almost all other tribal youth and students group, they are directly or indirectly associated with the NISO. So, they also called bond. So, that day on the Agartala Dharmanagar Assam Agartala National Highway, they were resorting to the blockadea. So, there see BJP communist bond so intolerant, so intolerant. They could have somehow manage it. Yes, the Tripura people, the entire nation has seen in the month of July in 2017, 11 days this IPFT the blockaded that national highway. How the left front government, the then government they have tackled the situation, not a single bullet was fired, not a single not his charge, nothing happened. But that day the BJP government they have demonstrated their matter and six people were injured there very seriously, grievously and not only that and what happened all BJP goons, they when they are attacked the people who the students and arson the shops and set fire to shops. So, these are things so that it is just a instigation that that does not remain within that, that resort to division among the people the communities. Dividing the Bengali and the tribal population. So, they are trying to push that incident towards that. So, that is why it is very, very dangerous hotel say trend has been developed now and the government of Tripura has been found so insensitive, busy all together found to be so insensitive, they are so adamant. The entire not distant region the state government they are opposing, they are at least are the opposing even though they are so adamant they passed the bill in the Lok Sabha. Now, you know last question to you on this issue is that we see rising tension in the northeast and the fractures in the northeast have been there. But this particular bill seems to raise this temperature in northeast much more. Do you see that the BJP which is planning for the parliament elections that they are basically thinking that the polarization amongst Hindus against Muslims and Christians is going to get them divided into Nassan and the northeast do you think that is the trajectory or do you think it is a larger issue of their majoritarian politics which is coming to the front here? Maybe in northeast according to my understanding their gain will not be that much. Hardly they are sporadically in Tripura and Barak Bali from a smaller section they could draw some sympathy on that and it may be that is aiming I the eyeing it for the next election. But I think their objective is to attract the other larger community of the rest part of the country. Though now it has been passed in the lower house since except the BJP almost all other parties are opposing I do not see that in your future it is it will be passed in the Rajasabha and you become a law. So, then why they are so hastily brought this thing and why not you see this JPC was constituted two years ago and during this passage of these two years three chairmen were changed and they are almost sleeping with that the bill and suddenly that JPC has again that is almost all except the BJP all other members they opposed and they brought it just day before they had the cabinet decision that afternoon they brought it in the BSE just day before the parliament the session was ending and brought it to the last day of the Lokshava and passed it. So, I do not see that so easily that will have the passage in the Rajasabha and convert into a law. So, even the knowing all this thing all this mathematics why they have brought it for electoral mileage only. But at the cost to the northeast and deepening the fractures that already exist that is really the price that northeast will have to pay for the kind of politics the BJP is indulging in in terms of this citizenship bill. Thank you very much. Thank you. Jitendra Chowdhary sir have to be with us we hope to have discussions on the northeast and on Tripura in future with you. Yes please. That is all the time we have for news click today do keep watching news click and our various discussions.