SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma has hailed the joint efforts of all the NGOs, political parties, church leaders of the region in ensuring that the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill does not get enacted.
He also asked the leader of Opposition in Meghalaya Assembly, Mukul Sangma not to undermine the efforts of the united force of the region which led to the lapse of the Bill that could not be tabled in Rajya Sabha even though it had been passed in Lok Sabha on January 8 last.
Reacting to reports that the Congress is trying to take credit for the lapsing of the Bill by claiming that the Bill would have been passed if there was no opposition from the Congress MPs in Rajya Sabha, Conrad Sangma said that the leader of Opposition is undermining the joint efforts of all the NGOs, students bodies, church leaders and political parties who campaigned against the Bill aggressively and unitedly.
Alleging that the there are leaders even within the Congress who are supporting the Bill, the Chief Minister added that the Congress in Meghalaya did not even went to Delhi even once to seek the support of the political parties against the Bill.
Making it clear that the MDA Government will oppose anything which would harm the indigenous people of the state and the region, the Chief Minister refused to take credit for the lapsing of the Bill alone saying it was because of the joint efforts of all the stakeholders that the Bill had finally lapsed in Rajya Sabha
He recalled that the joint meeting of the regional parties held in Guwahati had decided that the voices against the Bill in the region should be combined which would ultimately force the Central Government to listen to the grievances of the people
“It is not about victory , it was about the united movement and unity of the people,” he said while adding that the NDA leaders whom they met in Delhi including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president, Amit Shah were very responsive to the apprehensions of the North East and they made it clear that they would not go ahead with the Bill without taking the people of the region into confidence and on board
“It was a collective pressure which led to this situation,” the Chief Minister said while adding that one person is not responsible for the lapsing of the Bill but it was a collective efforts and everyone is responsible for the lapsing of the Bill.