By Cosmos Sangma
TURA: Political opponents, Congress and NPP, are out on the campaign trail mobilising supporters for D-Day on April 11 promising a plethora of developmental schemes, but there is one issue that continues to hog discussion among voters, particularly in the non-tribal-dominated plains belt region of Garo Hills- Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
The BJP-led central government’s move to push through the bill in Parliament ignited a tinder box across the North East as its opponents stoked fears of possible mass influx from neighbouring Bangladesh should it get passed by lawmakers.
With campaigning is in full swing for the first phase of elections covering the two Lok Sabha seats of Shillong and Tura, the issue continues to stoke controversy.
While the Congress in Garo Hills had attacked the BJP-led central government for its attempt to pass the CAB in Parliament, the National People’s Party, which is part of a group of regional parties that are members of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), had opposed the bill.
“We were the first to protest and object to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill as it would have been against the interest of the North East and the people of our state. We continued to put pressure on the central government and joined hands with other regional parties of the North East to veto the bill,” says Meghalaya Chief Minister and NPP national president Conrad K Sangma at election rallies across the Garo Hills.
But the Congress is not in the same boat with the NPP on the issue.
“It was the Congress that had opposed the CAB from the very beginning and we were prepared to defeat it in the Rajya Sabha which is why the BJP government ultimately did not table it,” claims Congress candidate Mukul Sangma.
The BJP does not have majority in the Rajya Sabha where the Congress and its allies are in control.
Interestingly, while the battle over CAB was fought in Parliament, back home in Garo Hills, both the Congress and the NPP are engaged in one-upmanship.
“Where was the Congress in Meghalaya and Mukul Sangma when the issue was burning? Why were they silent? We were the first to raise the issue and continued to mobilise
) support of other regional parties to put pressure on the central government. The Congress was nowhere in the picture,” claims Conrad Sangma.
At an election meeting in South Garo Hills this week, the chief minister alleged that the reason behind the Congress silence was their tacit support for the same bill.
“Is it not a fact that a Congress MP wrote to the prime minister giving support for passage of the bill? Why has the Congress party not mentioned this?” alleged the NPP chief.
The Congress dismisses the NPP charges claiming that had it not been for the party’s numbers in Rajya Sabha the BJP would have passed the bill.
“It is there for everyone to see who created and nurtured the NPP from the beginning. And isn’t the NPP a part of the BJP-led alliance NEDA in the North East?” asks Mukul Sangma during his election speeches.
With either party lobbing charges of collusion on the CAB issue at each other, it remains to be seen whether the people in Garo Hills will buy the argument while heading to the polling stations 13 days from now.