SHILLONG: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) on Tuesday passed a resolution to urge the central government to exempt the tribal areas and Meghalaya from the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
Moving the resolution on the opening day of the Winter Session of the Council, Executive Member (EM) in charge of land, TW Chyne, said, “Now therefore, this House resolved to urge the Union Government of India to exempt the applicability of Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 in the Tribal areas and the State of Meghalaya as a whole.”
The KHADC expressed grave concern over the move of the Union government to reintroduce the bill which, if passed, will make illegal migrants from minority communities like Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis or Christians coming from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan eligible for Indian citizenship if they have entered India before December 31, 2014 after only six years.
Chyne pointed out that the influx of migrants from these countries will further affect the demographic structure of the state and threaten the very existence of the tribal people.
He said that the Council should register its strong opposition to the CAB in one voice.
Taking part in the discussion, UDP leader and KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Teinwell Dkhar said that the MDCs should unite and extend support to the resolution leaving aside party politics.
Stating that the indigenous community will be reduced to a minority in the state if the CAB is passed, Congress MDC Ronnie Lyngdoh said it forms part of an agenda to make way for one country, one religion, one language, one culture in India.
He went on to say that the issue of CAB should be discussed in North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), which is a coalition of parties headed by the BJP, since the UDP is part of it and to also speak to the convener and Assam minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who supports the bill.
Another Congress MDC, Charles Marngar, said that migrants have started harassing the indigenous people even before the CAB has been passed and cited an instance in Umsiang, Ri-Bhoi where the residents of the Refugee Colony filed an FIR against the indigenous residents and threatened them.
He added that the Council should convene an assembly of all traditional heads to oppose the CAB.
Referring to the statement of Marngar, nominated MDC Bindo Lanong questioned as to why the Refugee Colony was not removed.
On the other hand, pointing to the Election Commission of India’s appeal to the people to enroll their names in the voters list, Lanong expressed concern that most of them are not bonafide citizens.
Independent MDC and MLA from Nongkrem, Lambor Malngiang, said public representatives should not politicise the issue and asserted that the CAB is a divide-and-rule policy for the Northeastern states by the BJP as he pointed out that special clause will be inserted for states like Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland which have the provisions of ILP.
Others who supported the resolution were Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) MDC Martle Mukhim, Independent MDC Grace Mary Kharpuri and Congress MDCs Gabriel Wahlang and Bajop Pyngrope.
