Work permit to B’deshis opposed

SHILLONG: The idea of work permit to Bangladeshis as suggested by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma was rejected by All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya in the presence of AASU, KSU and NESO leaders in the city on Sunday.
He, however, praised Conrad and his Cabinet for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
“We object to the idea of giving work permit to Bangladeshis but we appreciate the Meghalaya chief minister, who was the first one to oppose the Citizenship Amendment Bill followed by other chief ministers,” Bhattacharya said.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, seeks to make illegal migrants who belong to six communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — eligible for citizenship of India.
Earlier, Conrad had courted controversy for mentioning about work permit to Bangladeshis.
The chief minister later clarified that it was an idea mooted by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her meeting with the heads of the northeastern states in the context of Act South Policy.