SHILLONG: The Opposition Congress on Thursday demanded repeal of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Taking part in the discussion on the ILP resolution, Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma said the CAA has to be repealed and urged the state government to convene a special session to adopt another resolution to repeal CAA for the better interest of the people.
Echoing him, other Congress leaders also demanded the same. However, it was disallowed by the Speaker.
Mawsynram MLA HM Shangpliang said that ILP is the need of the hour and it has become a necessity.
While asking the government to implement the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) in its present form, he said the state is still waiting for the approval of the ordinance.
He added that MRSSA and ILP can go a long way together to protect the state from illegal immigrants.
He also said the Assembly can come up with legislations to empower Sordars, Dollois, Rangbah Shnong and Nokmas to assist the government in preserving indigenous tribes even as he maintained that Sixth Schedule areas should be extended to cover the entire state.
He also said that the Assam-Meghalaya boundary row should be settled and the areas should be demarcated before the CAA is implemented or else those areas would become enclaves for the immigrants.
East Shillong MLA Ampareen said passing of the CAA would accelerate the speed of demographic change in the region even as she demanded repealing of the Act.
Senior Congress MLA from Nongthymmai Charles Pyngrope said that the government should call for a separate session to pass a resolution on repealing CAA.
He also believed that ILP will not affect the economic activities of the state but would encourage local indigenous people to work even harder.
Pyngrope further said that local people have learnt many of the works which were done by the non-tribals.
Umroi MLA George Lyngdoh said that the intention of the Centre behind the CAA is clear that it wants to flood the North East with Hindu migrants.
Stating that the Centre has not even consulted Bangladesh before passing the Act, he said that as per reports, Bangladesh is willing to take back its citizens and even asked India to provide a list of the illegal immigrants who came to India.
“It is only a lollipop that CAA will be exempted from the areas under Sixth Schedule,” he said even as he accused the Centre of taking Meghalaya for a ride by removing the words “Khasi Jaintia” from Eastern Bengal Frontier Regulation 1873 without the consent of the state.
“The slogan of the BJP has turned from Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas to Sabka Vinash (destruction),” he said.
