TURA: Congress leader and former chief minister Mukul Sangma has termed the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha as the ‘darkest day’ for the people, particularly the tribals, of the North East.
He attacked the Narendra Modi government and the BJP accusing them of attempting to muzzle the voices of protest and refusing to listen to the cries of the indigenous tribes that make up the Northeastern states of India.
To protest the BJP’s push for the bill, the Congress leader and party supporters began a black badge protest and informed that more agitations would follow over the bill in the coming days.
Addressing media persons at Congress Bhawan in Tura late Monday afternoon, Mukul Sangma, who was flanked by his daughter and Ampati MLA Miani D Shira, lambasted the BJP and the central government for going ahead with the bill despite widespread protests all around the region.
“We are disturbed that despite having demonstrated the resolve to protest the introduction of CAB, the NDA government has gone ahead and passed the bill in the Lok Sabha. It appears they are determined to pass this bill into an Act,” he said.
The former chief minister said that the concern of the people of the North East was articulated very clearly in their protests over the bill but the government chose to decide differently.
“I was also a part of the delegation, consisting of civil society, governments of the NE including political parties, all of who were unanimous in their opposition to the controversial bill. The delegation had spoken on the matter to the NDA in New Delhi,” recalled Mukul Sangma and accused the Centre of mere lip service.
“The entire exercise, involving all stakeholders was only cosmetic. There are now attempts to camouflage the entire intention of the bill in such a way that the people of the NE are protected through ILP and 6th Schedule, which are exempted. It’s common sense that there cannot be two classes of citizens,” pointed out the Congress leader.
Mentioning about the anti foreigner movement which led to the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985, he said that under it detection of foreigners, illegal immigrants and anyone who has come after March 24, 1971 should be treated as illegal immigrants or as foreigners who entered the country illegally.
On CAB, Mukul Sangma said that the BJP government was opening a ‘Pandora’s box’.
“We don’t know how many people will be eligible and after they attain citizenship, where will they gravitate. I have shared this concern that all these foreigners will ultimately move towards the East and the NE because of demography. This will lead to a humanitarian crisis”, warned the former Congress chief minister.
He cautioned that the humanitarian crisis would also engulf neighbouring states as CAB would be used as a pretext for further persecution of minorities in those countries.
“The fact that they are bulldozing this bill does not augur well. They are not sensitive to the concerns of the people, where there is a requirement for a coherent and harmonious society,” he said and dwelled on the history of the region which reveals that the entire region was in turmoil mainly due to the sense of insecurity, fear of dilution of the demography of the north east
“The fear has been that the indigenous would not be able to preserve their identity with their population being microscopic. It is time for us to ensure that the voice of the NE is heard loud and clear,” said Mukul Sangma as he expressed hope that good sense would prevail on the matter so that the bill gets defeated in the Rajya Sabha.
“CAB will have tremendous social impact for the North East and no matter which party we are from, we are united in our opposition to it,” asserted the former chief minister.
