MZ-BILL-PRAYERS

Mass prayer in Mizoram churches to oppose Citizenship Bill
    Aizawl, Feb 10 (PTI) Special mass prayer was held in
churches across Mizoram for the defeat of the Citizenship
(Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Presbyterian church's
Mizoram Synod sources said on Sunday.
    Members of 16 major churches of different
denominations held prayers on Saturday night.
    The appeal made by the Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute
Committee (MKHC), a conglomeration of leaders of major
churches, had asked the local churches of all the
denominations to pray so that the bill gets stalled in the
Rajya Sabha.
    The MKHC had earlier appealed to members to hold mass
prayer on the night of February 16, but issued another
circular on Friday last to conduct the mass prayer on February
9 or February 10.
    A press statement issued by the MKHC said that the
bill is "harmful" for Mizoram and Christians.
    The bill, being vehemently opposed in the Northeast,
was passed in Lok Sabha on January 8 and the Centre has said
it will try to get the Rajya Sabha nod in this budget session.
    The bill seeks to provide Indian citizenship to
Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from
Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of
residence in India even if they do not possess any document.
    "Passage of the amendment bill can result in
suppression of the freedom of religion and is against the
spirit of secularism," the MKHC statement said.
     It appealed to the church members to pray for
religious freedom in India so that the people can continue to
worship God freely.
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public meeting at
Changsari in Assam Saturday assured the people of the region
that the bill will in no way cause harm to their interests.
PTI HCV
MM MM