Guwahati: The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is set to lapse on June 3, when the term of the Lok Sabha comes to an end, after it could not be introduced in the Rajya Sabha on the final day of its session on Wednesday.The bill, passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8, was listed twice by the Centre for consideration and passing in the Rajya Sabha. On Tuesday, the House was adjourned twice and on Wednesday, the session was adjourned sine die and the bill could not be introduced.The final option the Centre is left with is to pass an ordinance to implement the provisions of the bill, which seeks citizenship for Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after seven years of residence in India instead of 12 years even if they do not possess any document.After three years of intermittent protests against the proposed amendment to the Citizenship Act, the northeast finally put its fear and apprehension regarding the bill behind it on Wednesday.In Assam, people came out on to the streets, celebrating what they saw as a danger averted. Bursting firecrackers and breaking into Bihu dance, people raised slogans against the BJP government. Chants of “Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Sarbananda Sonowal, Himanta Biswa Sarma hai hai” filled the air.For civil society organizations that have been protesting against the bill — the All Assam Students’ Union, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, the Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad — the outcome of the Rajya Sabha session was a “victory of democracy, of the people of Assam and the northeast region against communal forces”.On similar lines, Congress in Assam claimed credit for being able to “yet again foil an attempt by communal forces to convert secular India into fundamentalist India.”Ruling BJP in Assam put the fate of the bill down to a numbers game — they didn’t have enough strength in the Rajya Sabha to ensure passage of the bill. In the Upper House, with an effective strength of 244, BJP has 73 members.In Assam, the biggest political casualty of the bill had been Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) walking out of the BJP-led ruling coalition. On Wednesday, the party celebrated what it sees as a moral victory. “The failure of the bill is a victory for democracy,” party president Atul Bora said. “If the government tries to introduce an ordinance, there will be greater uprising against BJP,” former chief minister and Assam Agitation veteran Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said.For Meghalaya chief minister and president of the National People’s Party (NPP), Conrad Sangma, the developments on Wednesday were the outcome of the voice of the northeast resonating across the country. “It was the united voice of the people of the northeast that prevailed,” Conrad said. He had threatened to follow in AGP’s footsteps and sever ties with NDA if the bill were passed in the Rajya Sabha. His counterpart in Mizoram, Mizo National Front president Zoramthanga, had done the same. Cabinets of both states have adopted resolutions against the bill, as has Nagaland.Last-minute opposition to the bill also came from two BJP chief ministers — Pema Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh and Biren Singh of Manipur.

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