GUWAHATI: Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has reiterated its opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, urging all parties, NGOs and the people of Meghalaya to unite against the proposed legislation.
“Our existence and that of the generations to come is at stake. Therefore, we call for the unity of all the political parties, NGOs and citizens of the state in protest against the Bill,” Thomas Passah, vice president, central executive committee, KHNAM, said in a statement on Thursday.
“We once again reiterate our stand to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 which intends to make illegal immigrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan as citizens of India,” Passah said.
The party, which is part of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government, said that it would not tolerate any attempt of the central government or BJP to jeopardize the existence of the people to fulfill the dreams and ambition of “One Country One Religion”.
“Meghalaya shares a very long border with Bangladesh and such amendments will immediately affect the demography of the state besides endangering the existence of the indigenous tribes. Our demand is to detect and deport all illegal immigrants from the state rather than give them a green card,” Passah said in the statement.
“We have been victims of influx for the past many decades and we will deal with it head on henceforth. The BJP in the election manifesto of 2014 might have promises to welcome and give shelter to all the Hindu refugees but we will not allow the BJP to fulfill them at the cost of our existence,” he said.
The MDA government, it may be recalled, had unanimously decided to reject the Citizenship (Amendment Bill,) 2016, at a Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister, Conrad K. Sangma on May 8, 2018. The meeting was held a day before the visit by a delegation of the joint parliamentary committee on the Bill.
KHNAM, formed in 2002 as a movement for change, has over the years been raising its voice against “illegal influx” and concern over the “loss of tribal identity”.
