N-E braces for stir over citizenship bill

GUWAHATI: An umbrella group of student organisations in seven northeastern states has said that protests against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill or CAB will be held across the region on Monday when Parliament’s winter session begins. The proposed legislation is likely to be tabled during the session.

“All the seven states will see protests against the CAB on Monday and we will submit memorandums addressed to the Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] and the [Union] home minister [Amit Shah] through the governors,” said Samuel Jyrwa, the president of the group, the North East Student Organisation.

Samujjal Bhattacharya, the chief adviser of All Assam Students Union, said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre has the numbers and it thinks it can go ahead with the passage of the bill. “We are opposing it because it is communal, anti-constitutional, anti-indigenous people, anti-northeast, protector of illegal Bangladeshis and violator of the Assam Accord of 1985,” he said, referring to the pact that ended a six-year agitation in Assam for the detection of illegal immigrants in Assam.

The bill proposes to fast track the process under which Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Parsis and Buddhists from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan can get Indian citizenship. There were widespread protests against bill till it lapsed after it was passed in Lok Sabha in February.

Akhil Gogoi, an adviser to the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, a peasant rights body in Assam, said the organisation will start the protests from Monday. “On November 22, there will be a big rally in Guwahati.”

In BJP-ruled Arunachal Pradesh, home minister Bamang Felix said a nine-member consultative committee formed in October to safeguard the rights of indigenous people has found that locals were against the legislation. “We met people from different organisations and political parties and groups. They are opposed to the CAB...”

Mizoram home minister Lalchamliana said the state remains totally opposed to the CAB. “We will fight it,” he said.

In Meghalaya, BJP’s ally, the National People’s Party (NPP) said, it, too, is waiting for consultations with Shah. “Let us wait for him to come,” said Prestone Tynsong, deputy chief minister.

The Asom Gana Parishad, BJP’s ally in Assam, said they were still opposed to the proposed legislation. “...BJP said that they will discuss the bill with us before it is tabled. We are hopeful talks will happen soon,” said Manoj Saikia, AGP spokesperson.