SHILLONG: A Hynniewtrep forum has called the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB), 2016, a Hindu appeasement policy and a means to strengthen vote bank in the North East.
Robert Kharjahrin, the president of Confederation of Hynniewtrep Social Organisations (CoHSO), said the bill is the BJP’s “unhealthy agenda” to convert the status of illegal immigrants to Indians.
“We cannot deny that the BJP is an offspring of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh). The BJP has found it difficult to penetrate in the North East,” he said.
Kharjahrin asserted that the illegal Hindu immigrants will make up the BJP’s vote base and the national party “wants to wipe out the indigenous community who does not support the party”.
“What is the agenda of Indo-Nepal Peace Treaty, the agenda is Hindu appeasement policy and not development policy,” he said.
To express their opposition to the bill, the CoHSO held a protest rally and appealed to political parties to oppose the CAB.
According to Kharjahrin, only a Cabinet resolution is not enough and an official resolution by the Meghalaya Assembly to oppose the bill has not been done till date.
“Through this rally, we want to send a clear message of the voice of the people to the members of Parliament at the Centre and to the MDA government to not make any attempt to place and pass the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 in the winter session or any other session,” he said.
Raising a concern that people are moving out from Bangladesh as some of its lands are submerged, Kharjahrin said, “People from Bangladesh still enter the state illegally even with the border fencing, BSF or other stringent measures. They even have their own colony here in Shillong,” he said.
The Hynniewtrep leader feared that the bill will attract “the whole of Bangladesh” that will have an adverse impact on the social, political, economic and land rights of people here.
He welcomed other like-minded social organisations to join CoHSO and oppose CAB as there is a need for unity.
When asked about ‘Bangladesh Colony’, Kharjahrin pointed to RR Colony that was set up to shelter refugees in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War and also other areas along the border wherein Bangladeshis enter the state illegally and attain Indian Citizenship.
“Even the signing of the Indo-Nepal treaty has allowed the entry of Nepalis in the state,” he said.
In their last meeting with the state government, Kharjahrin had demanded 100 per cent implementation of existing laws such as the Foreigners Act.
“Meghalaya also has the anti-infiltration directorate wherein check gates are set up in some parts of the state. But there are no anti-infiltration check gates in West Khasi Hills and East Khasi Hills and along the borders of Bangladesh,” Kharjahrin said, adding, “Other than the demand for ILP we told the chief minister to implement the existing laws in letter and spirit.”
