TURA, April 12: The Youth Congress from Williamnagar in East Garo Hills has urged the state government to provide transparent and accurate information with regard to the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, in Meghalaya.
The Youth Congress contended that the people of the state deserve clarity on the impact of the contentious legislation on their lives and the community as a whole.
According to the youth body, there was significant confusion regarding the implementation of the CAA in Meghalaya, particularly concerning its impact on the Sixth Schedule areas of the state.
The youth body also went on say that albeit the National People’s Party (NPP) had made statements defending its stance on the CAA implementation, there were conflicting reports and a lack of clarity from both the party and the government.
“Just three days ago, Conrad Sangma, the leader of NPP, stated in an interview that only 0.1 per cent of the total land in Meghalaya would be affected by the CAA, with exemptions for the Sixth Scheduled areas. However, crucially, Sangma failed to specify which areas outside the Sixth Schedule would be impacted, leaving many questions unanswered,” Youth Congress leader, Junebirth C Marak, said.
Marak said that adding to the confusion, NPP’s national vice president, Prestone Tynsong, had also spoken about exemptions for the Sixth Schedule areas, but his statement indicated that 2.5 per cent of these areas would be affected by the CAA, which further highlighted the lack of clarity surrounding the implementation of the act in Meghalaya.
According to Marak, amidst assurances from the NPP leaders on the issue, there has been no official clarification from the government regarding which specific areas will be affected and which will be exempted.
“However, according to annexure data, it has been revealed that ten different places in Meghalaya will indeed be impacted by the CAA. This means that at least 13,000 square kilometers of land in Meghalaya will be affected by the CAA,” he said.
