SHILLONG: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill has assured protesters that it would look into all their suggestions before submitting a report to the Lok Sabha speaker.
Eight organisations and two individuals protesting against the amendments to the bill met the JPC members here on Thursday.
The central team is on a two-day visit to the city.
JPC chairman Rajendra Agarwal, however, refused to comment on the suggestions made by the groups.
Stating that the committee has visited states like Rajasthan and Gujarat, Agarwal said JPC “can also think of visiting more states in the North East since there are requests to even visit other states for seeking views of people”.
“Even without the passage of the Bill, illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are crossing over to the region – be it Assam, Tripura or any other state. The North East region cannot take the burden of Bangladeshis anymore since the region took the load of Bangladeshis during their liberation war,” Samuel Jyrwa, the chairman of the North East Social Organisation (NESO), told reporters after the meeting.
Jyrwa, while appreciating the decision of the Meghalaya government to oppose the Bill, urged the chief ministers of other states to follow suit.
NESO advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said the organisation made its point with facts and figures before the committee.
“North East is not the dumping ground for illegal Bangladeshis and the Bill is a threat to the identity of our indigenous people,” he said.
NESO demanded constitutional safeguard for indigenous people of the region, including Inner Line Permit and right over land and natural resources.
During the meeting, most of the NGOs suggested that the JPC team visits other states in the region.
Among other groups present were the United Front of former ULFA, KSU, FKJGP, HYC, HNYF and the Grand Council of Chiefs of Meghalaya.
Armed with banners, the KSU activists staged a surprise demonstration on the premises of the State Convention Centre while the JPC was holding meetings with various stakeholders.
