GUWAHATI: North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) under the aegis of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) held a high decibel protest here on Tuesday to reiterated its firm protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
The NESO, an umbrella organisation of the students’ organisations of the indigenous community students of the NE region, staged the protest programme in support of the demand for repeal of the above Bill.
The NESO adviser, Dr Samujjal Bhattacharrya said that the students’ organisation would not rest on its agitation course till the BJP- led government at the Centre withdraw the Citizenship Bill. Demanding all the N-E state governments to register their protest against the Bill, the NESO leader said that they would also stage protest in New Delhi, if the Central government try to pass the Bill in the forthcoming Winter Session of the Parliament ignoring the mass protest in the Northeast against the Bill.
Moreover, the students’ body maintains that its constituent organisations are also for the withdrawal of all the notifications and orders like the Foreigners’ (Amendment) Order, 2015, Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 2015, Long-Term Visa, which are detrimental to the interest of the indigenous people of the NE region of the country.
NESO constituents – AASU, All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Garo Students’ Union (GSU), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) and Tripura Students’ Federation (TSF) – have been constantly agitating against the Bill, notifications/orders etc., throughout the NE region.
It has reiterated its stand that under no circumstances the Bill and notifications/orders, which are detrimental to the interest of the indigenous people of the NE region, would be accepted. NE region is not a dustbin for dumping the illegal migrants. It warned that if the Union Government goes to impose the Bill, notifications/ orders etc on the NE people, the situations in the region would become highly volatile. The Union Government will have to face serious consequences for such moves, said the students’ body.
The NESO also announced that on November 30, its constituent organizations would hold protest programmes against the Bill and notifications/orders in all the state capitals of the NE region and press all the MLAS and MPs from the region to oppose the controversial Bill that is detrimental to the interest of indigenous communities in the state.
The NESO leader said if the state government of Meghalaya where BJP is a part of the ruling alliance, could officially take a stand against the Bill, why can’t other state governments in the region follow suit.