‘Ruling party MP’s support to CAB an act of betrayal’
GUWAHATI: Let down for being “ignored” in regard to Inner Line Permit (ILP) after the same was promised to Manipur, regional party, Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has alleged that Meghalaya has been betrayed again by the Centre as well as by the ruling National People’s Party.
“We have been betrayed by the central government. It has shown its step-motherly attitude towards Meghalaya once again, which we condemn. Worse still, we have been betrayed by our ruling party in the state, National People’s Party, as its MP (Agatha Sangma) has supported the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in the Lok Sabha yesterday,” Thomas Passah, spokesperson, KHNAM central executive committee, told The Shillong Times on Tuesday.
“If Manipur can be brought under the ambit of ILP, why not Meghalaya? We have been demanding ILP for decades. The state government has failed to live up to the expectations of the people and instead applied double standards in regard to CAB, which we condemn and oppose,” Passah said.
The regional party further demanded the resignation of the Governor of Meghalaya for not giving his assent to the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) amendment. “He should either give assent to the MRSSA or resign. We don’t need a Governor who does not understand the sentiments of the people of the state,” the KHNAM spokesperson said.
“Here, we want to make it clear and pass a message to all the illegal migrants who will be legalised through CAB that we will not allow them to enter the territory of Meghalaya. We will closely monitor the inflow of people to the state hence forth,” he said.
Leading students’ union in the state, Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Monday had said it would monitor the entry of people into Meghalaya to check influx.
The union’s central executive committee meeting had decided that 700 KSU units across the state would assist in monitoring the entry of people into Meghalaya. Reportedly, the union had claimed detection of 10,000 ‘outsiders’ who have been pushed back.
“Now, with the picture clear on NPP’s stand on CAB, we are waiting whether the regional parties (in the state alliance) would keep supporting the ruling party. You can be either for or against CAB,” Passah said.
North East Forum for Indigenous People (NEFIP) media secretary, Khuraijam Athouba said that it was unfortunate that the ruling NPP had taken a U-turn by extending support to CAB in the Lok Sabha, given that the party under Conrad K Sangma, had earlier taken a strong stand against CAB. “The last-minute change of stand by NPP is an act of betrayal and insult to the people of Meghalaya. The ruling party will lose the trust of the people this way,” he added.