SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has hailed the efforts of NGOs, political parties and church leaders from the region in ensuring that the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill did not go through even as he asked the Leader of Opposition, Mukul Sangma, not to undermine such united effort of the various groups of the region.
Reacting to reports that the Congress is trying to take credit for the bill lapsing by claiming that it would have been passed had there been no opposition from the party MPs in Rajya Sabha, Conrad Sangma said that the Leader of the Opposition is undermining the joint efforts of all the NGOs, student bodies, church leaders and political parties who campaigned against the bill aggressively and together.
Alleging that the there are leaders even within the Congress who are supporting the bill, the chief minister added that the party in Meghalaya did not even go to Delhi even once to seek the support of other political parties against it.
Making it clear that the MDA government will oppose anything which could harm the indigenous people of the state and the region, the chief minister refused to take credit for the CAB falling flat and, instead, said it was because of the joint efforts of all the stakeholders.
“What is more important is that this has not gone through. The most important thing is that the voice of the people has prevailed. The unity that was shown when this issue came up sent a strong message,” he said.
He recalled that the joint meeting of regional parties held in Guwahati had decided that the voices against the bill in the region should be combined, which would ultimately force the central government to listen to the grievances of the people.
“ It is not about victory , it was about the united movement and unity of the people,” he said while adding that the NDA leaders whom they met in Delhi, including Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP president, Amit Shah, were very responsive to the apprehensions of the North East and they made it clear that they would not go ahead with the bill without taking the people of the region into confidence and on board. “ It was the collective pressure which did it,” the chief minister said.
Asked about Assam BJP leader and NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma’s assertion that the party would bring the CAB if it is voted back to power, Sangma said that the party is clear in its stand that it does not want the CAB since it has lapsed, and the matter should end there.
