SHILLONG: In continuation of their opposition to the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, the North East Students’ Union (NESO) staged protests in almost all the state capitals of the Northeastern region including here on Monday.
NESO along with the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) staged protest by burning an effigy of the Bill at Civil Hospital junction, near the statue of Khasi-Jaintia freedom fighter, Kiang Nangbah.
Prior to the burning of the effigy, KSU president, Lambokstarwell Marngar said, “Though the state government has opposed the Bill, it is yet to take a resolution and send it to the Central government to register its opposition to the Bill.”
He threatened that the organisation will resort to violence if the Centre goes ahead with the Bill while asserting that the Centre would be responsible if any chaos erupts.
He maintained the Bill would bulldoze the rights of the indigenous people of the state and the North Eastern Region as a whole if lakhs of migrants from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan are granted citizenship rights.
“The Central government should do away with the Bill and think about protecting the rights of the indigenous people in the state,” Marngar said.
He asserted even as the state is grappling with the issues of influx, the Central government is easing the way for illegal immigration.
NESO president, Samuel Jyrwa said Meghalaya will face the impact of illegal migrants if the Bill is passed as the state shares a long porous border with Bangladesh.
According to him, other parts of the North East would also be affected.
He urged the organisations to put up a united opposition against the Bill.
Later, speaking to reporters, Jyrwa said, “We have taken the burden of 1971 Liberation War with Bangladesh and witnessed the effect of the exodus of the 1971 Liberation War. Even without the amendment of the Citizenship Bill, we have seen the effect of the unabated influx of people coming from Bangladesh illegally to the different parts of the North East.”
According to him, the land laws in the state cannot contain the influx in the state. “It would be very difficult to deport and detect them and we would be reduced to minority in our own land,” he added.
He pointed out people can well imagine the condition of the indigenous communities if 50 per cent of the 1,33,00,000 of Hindus in Bangladesh migrate to the different parts of the North East.
On the other hand, Jyrwa said, “We welcome the decision of the state government and urge other state governments of the Northeastern region to take the example of Meghalaya in showing their opposition to the proposed Bill.”
If need be, there is no harm in trying to lobby with the different political parties and stakeholders to oppose the Bill, he added.
