SHILLONG: The Congress in Meghalaya has targeted the BJP despite the lapse of CAB, while the MDA partners have heaved a sigh of relief.
Opposition Chief Whip and Congress MLA PT Sawkmie has urged the people of the North East and other parts of the country not to vote for BJP in the Lok Sabha polls as the saffron party would revive the bill once again.
According to Sawkmie, time has come for the people to fight against the BJP and he added that the Congress will definitely raise the issue of CAB in the elections since the people in the North East need to be conveyed not to vote for BJP.
“If the BJP comes back to power again, they would revive the bill,” he said.
Asserting that the BJP made its best attempts to get the bill passed in Rajya Sabha, Sawkmie lauded the efforts played by the Opposition parties and different NGOs from the region who stood together and opposed the bill.
Stating that the Bill has united the whole North East region, he added that the Congress wants the bill to be scrapped.
Sawkmie said the law and order situation in the region has been disturbed due to the bill even as he added that the BJP should apologise to the people of the North East and the country by admitting that they have done a big blunder by brining the bill which would have harmed the indigenous people of the region.
However, NPP state president, WR Kharlukhi said,” I thank God that the bill could not be tabled and I know if the bill was passed, the entire North East would have been in flames.”
Recalling the experience of foreigners’ movement in 1979-80, he also thanked Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma and other leaders of NESO for spearheading a movement against the bill and putting pressure on the government for not going ahead with the bill.
When asked if NPP would review its alliance with BJP led NDA after the controversy over the bill, he said there was no such move.
On the other hand, UDP senior leader, Allan Dkhar said that it is a historic moment for the region as a whole that the bill has lapsed.
Recalling that it was the Meghalaya government which had first opposed the bill, Dkhar added that the weeks and months of dedicated opposition to the bill has finally seen the result.
“This is not an eye opener but an awakening for the citizens of Meghalaya and the region that we have to be awake of the reality that time has come for us to be self reliant and self dependent”, he said
Highlighting the importance of regional parties, he said if all the seven states of the region would have been ruled by regional parties, the Centre would not have dared to carry out this misadventure.
PDF leader and Cabinet Minister Hamlet Dohling said the MDA government right from the beginning has been opposing the bill even as he appreciated the Chief Minister for making best efforts to oppose the bill.
Independent MLA Lambor Malngiang too expressed happiness that the bill has finally lapsed.
