Draft CAB to be changed to preserve identity of NE people:

Senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the draft of the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) will be altered to preserve the identity of the indigenous people of the Northeast and stress on the development of the region.

There has been an apprehension among the people of the region that if the CAB is enacted, indigenous people of the Northeast will face the crisis of identity and livelihood.

The CAB will create problems for about four to five lakh people in Assam but it will ensure all-round development of the state, said Sarma, who is also the Assam finance and health minister.

"The old draft of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will be changed. The new draft will give more emphasis on the development of the unique culture of North East region and on the identity of the indigenous people," said Sarma who is the convenor of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the NDA's version in the northeast.

A new CAB will be tabled in the next session of Lok