Aizawl, Oct 5 (IANS): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday addressed a huge gathering at Mizoram but avoided the issues of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), who had led to protests in the state recently.

Several NGOs and other organisations under the banner of a coordination committee recently intensified the agitation against the visit of Shah saying that the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Bill will affect Mizoram and other parts of the northeast.

Several organisations including the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) had also decided to wear black clothes, particularly the shawl normally worn by the Mizo people during funerals to demonstrate their opposition to the CAB. The coordination committee, however, on Friday evening decided to withdraw their protests during the Home Minister's visit.

Shah who visited Mizoram with a day long programme highlighted the major initiatives taken by the BJP led NDA government at the Centre for the development of Mizoram and other parts of the northeast. "During the tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi we have taken out bamboo from the list of forest resources and this is going to help the entire northeast region by boosting the handicraft sector," said Shah.

The Home Minister said that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken several steps for the development of Mizoram in the past five years which includes the inauguration of the 60 MW Tuirial hydro power project, providing rail connectivity to Vairabi in Mizoram, opening of border haats with Myanmar and steps to open the Kaladan multi model project.

He said that while the erstwhile Congress government had given only Rs. 19,974 crore to Mizoram under the 13th Finance Commission, the state was given Rs. 42,972 crore under the 14th Finance Commission.