SHILLONG/GUWAHATI: Regional parties across the North East including those in Meghalaya, which are in alliance with the BJP, will meet in Guwahati on Tuesday to put forth their objections to the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
The UDP and its Regional Democratic Alliance partner, the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP), along with the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) will attend the meeting called by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.
Adelbert Nongrum, the lone MLA of the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM), will also be present.
Addressing a press conference in Shillong on Tuesday, UDP’s working president Bindo Lanong said all the regional parties will unanimously oppose the bill with a demand for abrogation.
“We are going to Guwahati to take a united stand and oppose the bill from officially becoming an act,” he said, adding that the bill, if becomes a law, will officially open the gates to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
HSPDP general secretary Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar, Cabinet Minister Samlin Malngiang and another party member will attend the meeting. PDF will be represented by its president Ivanlumlang Marbaniang and other MLAs.
Among other parties which will attend the meeting is JD(U), NDA’s major ally in Bihar, and the AGP, which recently snapped ties with the saffron party in Assam.
While Sangma will take the lead role in convening the meet, the AGP will be the co-convener, NPP leaders said on Monday.
Recently, a delegation of AGP leaders met Sangma to chalk out plans to oppose the bill. It was during this meeting that Sangma had proposed an all-party meet on Tuesday.
The MNF from Mizoram, NDPP from Nagaland, IPFT from Tripura, SDF from Sikkim, besides NPP leaders from Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur have confirmed their participation. Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga left Aizawl on Monday for Guwahati, ruling MNF sources said.
“The Cabinet meeting chaired by Zoramthanga had adopted a resolution resolving to oppose the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and the chief minister had informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh that the state government and the people of Mizoram were opposed to the legislation of the proposed amendment,” sources said.
K C Tyagi, general secretary of the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), has already arrived in Guwahati. The party’s national vice president, Prashant Kishore, is expected to join too.
Tyagi told reporters in Guwahati that his party would vote against the citizenship bill when it will come up in the Upper House.
The JD(U) has also met members of the All Assam Students Union and the North East Students’ Organisation.
The regional parties in the North East which are set to meet over the bill are all members of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance.
The gathering is bound to create more uneasiness for the BJP as the North East accounts for 25 Lok Sabha seats.
AGP president Atul Bora said “the entire North East is protesting against the bill and it’s unfortunate that the Assam government has ignored sentiments of the indigenous people and instead is attacking and harassing people and organisations opposing the bill”.
(With inputs from PTI)
