SHILLONG: The Confederation of Hynniewtrep Social Organisations (CoHSO) on Thursday questioned the Centre’s move to approve amendments to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution when the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, would make it redundant.
“What is the need of improving the Sixth Schedule when there are efforts to ruin the spirit of the Sixth Schedule by bringing in the citizenship bill,” said CoHSO chairman Robert June Kharjahrin during the group’s hunger strike at the Additional Secretariat parking lot in the city in protest against the controversial bill, which is the “BJP’s surreptitious agenda”.
The bill, which seeks to give citizenship on the basis of religion, is against the secular spirit of the country and disrupts the federal structure “as the Indian government is going ahead despite opposition”, the leader asserted.
On the Ministry of Home Affairs’ statement that the Centre would not grant citizenship without the consent of state governments, Kharjahrin said the assurance had no merit as the bill did not have any provision as ‘subject to state consent’.
“The double-standard attitude is confusing. Whether the granting of more schemes will appease the people and allow Bangladeshis,” the leader said pointing at the contradiction in the Centre’s move to approve amendments to the Sixth Schedule.
Asserting that there have been attempts to do away with the Sixth Schedule, he described the action as “neatly painting the house before destroying it”.
“What will happen if the CEM is a Bangladeshi? With the increase in seats, will it benefit them and what will happen if Bangladeshis outnumber us? Who knows some seats have been reserved for non-tribals in the increased seats,” he added.
Kharjahrin informed that the Garo Hills Joint Action Committee was also supporting CoHSO.
According to him, the amendments to strengthen the autonomous district councils were eyewash.
The CoHSO was not granted permission by the district administration to proceed with the hunger strike for three days. The confederation has decided to focus on the public rally to be held on January 31.
