BJP-backed Meghalaya govt opposes Citizenship Bill

The co-ordination committee of the BJP-backed Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government on Friday reiterated its opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which will be introduced in the parliament on December 11.

"We are not happy because we had made our stand clear to the Central government to exempt Meghalaya from the Bill. But according to the draft Bill, it is found to be applicable in some places that are outside the schedule areas of the state," Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong told journalists.

"If the Bill can be exempted in 96 per cent areas of the state, why not exempt the whole state from the applicability of the Bill," the Deputy Chief Minister asked.

On Saturday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had submitted a joint resolution to Home Minister Amit Shah adopted by the Meghalaya government, different political parties and members of civil society groups opposing the amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955.

However, Tynsong said that they will write again to the Central government opposing the Bill, saying that it should be exempted entirely in Meghalaya.

"We will request the lone National People's Party MP Agatha K. Sangma and opposition Congress MP Vincent H. Pala to express the unhappiness that we have," he added.

The MDA coalition government comprises the National People's Party, the United Democratic Party, the People's Democratic Front, the BJP and the Hill State People's Democratic Party, the Nationalist Congress Party, and the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement besides Independents.

Is Modi govt for own citizens or illegal migrants: NESO

Expressing its strong resentment at the Union Cabinet's approval to the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019, the North East Students Organisation (NESO) on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah whether the government is for its own citizens or for the illegal migrants.

"From the attitude and approach of the Government of India, it clearly shows that the government is for the illegal migrants," the apex students body of the indigenous communities in the northeastern states noted in the letter to Modi and Shah.

"In fact, the duty of the government is to protect its own citizens from external aggression but through this Amendment, instead of deporting them, the government is rewarding their illegal entry by granting them Indian citizenship," the letter added.

The NESO, which is spearheading the protest against the amendment of Citizenship Act, 1955, has also called for an northeast shutdown on December 10 from 5 a.m to 4 p.m. in protest against the bill.

The Central government is expected to introduced the contentious Bill in Parliament on December 11 after the Union Cabinet gave its nod to the measure on Wednesday.

The cabinet approval came after Shah held consultative meetings with the Chief Ministers of northeastern states, leaders of different political parties and civil society groups and other stakeholders in New Delhi.

Noting that the Bill will only "encourage more infiltration from Bangladesh where the present Hindu population in Bangladesh is more than 140 lakh", the NESO said: "This treacherous act of the government is a big threat to the identity and survival of the indigenous communities of the northeast and this will further alienate the indigenous people of the northeast where we have been receiving only political injustice from time to time."

In the letter, the NESO said that the region has been taking the burden of illegal migration since 1947 due to the Partition as India attained Independence, and again in 1971 due to the the Bangladesh liberation war, and as its effect, the "indigenous people of Tripura are reduced to a minority in their own land whereby as of today the indigenous people of Tripura accounts for only 30 per cent of the total population, and in 11 districts of Assam out of 24 districts, the indigenous people are reduced to a minority..."

It also said that the bill violates the provisions of the historic Assam Accord.

with IANS inputs