Centre warned against ignoring opponents

SHILLONG: Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Mukul Sangma has cautioned the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre not to ignore the voice of the people who did not support them.
Sangma’s warning comes in the context of BJP’s assertion that the party would go ahead with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill after having failed to see it through in the NDA’s first term. The move had faced stiff opposition from socio-political groups in the North East.
“The BJP during their election campaign raised certain agendas which they promised to fulfill if they were again voted to power. But the party should not undermine the voice of those who did not vote for them,” Sangma told media persons here on Monday.
Asking the BJP to understand that India is a diverse country, Sangma also said that if a political party receives a mandate to form the government, it does not mean that one has the mandate to do everything even against the interest of those who may not have voted for it.
According to him, the new BJP-led dispensation at the Centre should not try to push through any matter which is not acceptable to the people of this diverse country.
Asking the Central government to respect the sentiments of each and every citizen of this country, he said that people of the state must be vigilant of the CAB.
“We are all aware that the people of the region are against the CAB. The CAB is a matter of concern. As the major opposition party in the country, the Congress will remain alert and watchful of any move of bringing it back,” he said.
Terming CAB as dangerous for the interest of the people of the state, he said that there is a need to find a way out. The BJP government at the Centre needs to introspect as to why the people of the region are opposing the CAB, he added.