Apex Mizo student body braces for ‘total’ bandh on Tuesday
GUWAHATI: Apex students’ organisation of Mizoram, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) has accused the Centre of attempting to “divide” states in the Northeast by “keeping away” ILP (inner line permit) states and Sixth Schedule areas from the ambit of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) 2019.
The Lok Sabha had voted in favour of CAB on Monday amid intensified protests across Assam and the region.
“We condemn the move by the Centre and want the CAB to be scrapped. We stand united with the North East Students Organisation (NESO) which has called a region-wide bandh in protest against the Bill on December 10,” MZP spokesperson and senior leader, Ricky L. Colney told The Shillong Times from Aizawl on Monday.
An emergent meeting of the MZP on Saturday had resolved to offer total support to the Northeast bandh and observe a ‘total bandh’ in the state on Tuesday, while alleging that the BJP-led NDA government was trying to create a rift among the states of the region.
“What makes CAB 2019 more dangerous than the one that lapsed in January this year is that it proposes to exempt ILP states and Sixth Schedule areas from its purview. In that case, illegal migrants from Assam or the other states where ILP is not in place, can enter and settle in Mizoram. So, this is nothing but a move to divide the people and parties of the region in an attempt to pass the legislation,” Colney said.
He further said that the Presbyterian Church of Mizoram had also appealed to the state government not to allow CAB to be implemented in the state. “The Church has given a statement opposing CAB, saying that it is harmful for the indigenous people of Mizoram and Northeast,” Colney said.