Shillong, Feb. 14 -- As North East rejoiced for the failure of BJP-led NDA to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, not everyone joined in on the celebrations and share the same sentiment. Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described the lapsing of the Bill as a "defeat for Assam".
"It is a defeat for Assam. My party and I extended full support to the Bill. We do not have majority in the Rajya Sabha, so the Bill could not be passed. Bangladeshi Muslims will occupy 17 constituencies of Lower and Central Assam now. The people of Assam will lose their culture and language," said Sarma.
The contentious Bill is set to lapse on June 3 when the term of the present 16th Lok Sabha ends. Wednesday's session ...