Mizoram chief minister and Mizo National Front (MNF) president Zoramthanga on Monday said his party had instructed Mizoram’s lone Lok Sabha member C. Lalrosanga to vote in favour of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by Parliament last week.

The chief minister’s clarification came at a time when certain youth groups are protesting against the amended law and people are blaming the ruling MNF and C. Lalrosanga for voting in favour of the bill in Parliament.

Addressing a function to mark Exodus Day of the MNF at the party office here, Zoramthanga said all political parties, civil society groups and churches vociferously opposed the citizenship bill before it became an act, and demanded that Mizoram be exempted from the purview of the bill. The day that marks the victory of India over Pakistan in the 1971 War, is remembered by the MNF as Exodus Day. “We suggested that our MP votes in favour of the bill as the Centre has fulfilled our demand to exempt Mizoram,” he said.

He said representatives of all political parties and NGOs met Union home minister Amit Shah during his visit to Mizoram and told him that the people of the state were strongly opposed to the bill.

“I personally met both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah in New Delhi and asked them to exempt Mizoram from the ambit of the bill,” the chief minister said.

He said initially they were not fully convinced by the home minister’s comment that the government would take measures to exempt Mizoram, as the draft bill was then yet to be tabled in Parliament.

Later, the Centre exempted states with inner-line permit and Sixth Schedule areas from the purview of the bill, he said.

“It is wrong and immature to oppose the amended citizenship law after the Centre agreed and fulfilled the demands and aspirations of the Mizos,” Zoramthanga said.

He added that his party had instructed the MP to vote in favour of the bill to show how understanding and mature the Mizos are.

Meanwhile, a group of youths on Monday staged a demonstration to register their protest against the amended citizenship law near the MNF office here. They blamed the MNF-led state government and C. Lalrosanga for voting in favour of the new law, and demanded the MP’s resignation.

A student leader from Women Polytechnic College in Aizawl, who took part in the protest, alleged that both the MNF and its MP insulted the people of the state by supporting the bill.