The Angry Citizens

NE allies are abandoning BJP over the citizenship bill

- Abdul Gani

ON a sunny but chilly January morning, two days before Repu­blic Day, thousands of people rallied across Mizoram in pro­test against the contentious citi­zenship (amendment) bill. Many of the protesters were carrying placards and banners that read, “Bye bye India. Hello China”. It was a radical state­ment by all accounts, a threat to sece­ de from India. It’s the kind of state­ment issued by militant groups of the Northeast, not by the common man. Then again, this is not a common bill either. And this has brought together the people and political parties of the region against a common enemy—the “illegal immigrant” —leaving the BJP fighting growing alienation in a corner of the country it had found acceptance for the first time.