TURA: Home Minister James K Sangma’s recent statement that ‘the passage of Citizenship Bill will have no impact on Meghalaya’ has drawn sharp criticism from the Garoland State Movement Committee (GSMC) who demanded on Monday that the government come clean on whether it was supporting the controversial CAB or against it.
Chairman of the GSMC Nikman Ch Marak termed the Home Minister’s statement as irresponsible which amounted to succumbing to the ideology of the BJP Govdernment, even as he pointed out that other North Eastern states with anti-immigration laws were opposing it.
“States with anti-immigration laws like Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh are opposing the CAB tooth and nail fearing the future existence of the indigenous people. But without any anti-immigration law in hand, safeguarding the indigenous people is impossible and as such, the careless statement of Home Minister sounds hollow,” Nikman said.
The GSMC Chairman demanded to know on what basis and on what Law the government would protect the people from becoming a minority in their own land.
“He speaks about Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2016 which is yet to be implemented in the state and amended ordinance of the Bill awaits Governor’s assent and required the passage of Bill in Meghalaya Assembly,” Marak said.
Marak demanded that the government come up with a clear cut policy as far as the re-introduction of CAB in the ongoing Parliament session and its subsequent passage of the said bill is concerned, specifying the number of immigrants to be accommodated in the soil of Meghalaya and which particular places of the state will be earmarked for their settlement.“However, our stand is that, we will never accept such blunder of the government and not even an inch of our land shall be compromised with for the settlement of the foreigners,” he warned.