SHILLONG, JAN 12: The North East Students’ Organisation has urged political parties to unitedly stand against the proposed passing of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
“We urged upon different political parties who are against this Bill to stand up and be counted in the Rajya Sabha so that this draconian bill cannot be passed through,” NESO chairman Samuel B Jyrwa told reporters here on Saturday.
Though the Bill could not be passed due to strong opposition by the Rajya Sabha MPs, he however said another session of the parliament will again start from January 31 to February 12 and we got information that the Centre might re-introduce this Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
“We cannot allow the ruling government to bulldoze by passing this Bill which is a threat and a danger to the identity of the indigenous people of the different states in the North Eastern region,” Jyrwa said.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to people from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan, was passed in the Lok Sabha amid widespread protests in the North East region.
He however said, “If worse comes to worst and this Bill is passed then we can very well know the intention of all the mainland political parties towards the plight of the indigenous people of the NE region.”
Asked, Jyrwa said the North East Students’ Organisation will sit in the days to come to chalk out its future course of actions with regards to the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
Appreciating the firm stand taken by the governments of Meghalaya and Mizoram on the issue, the NESO chairman however said even if the two state governments had shown their opposition to the Bill but the Centre does not pay any heed.
He said in fact this (opposition) should have been taken into consideration by the Central government that the state governments of the North East are not in favour of this Bill adding “this shows the attitude of the Central government towards the sentiments of the indigenous people of NE region.”
Meanwhile, a North East wide black flag protest was also observed by NESO members in the state capital to condemn the atrocities by the Tripura police against the unarmed protesters.
“We condemn the police atrocities on the innocent and unarmed protesters and the attack of police on the ambulance that carried the injured persons to the hospital,” he said.
Jyrwa said the delegation of the NESO on January 10, were also prevented by the police from visiting the four persons who sustained bullet injuries and were admitted in a hospital, citing that due to imposition of section 144 CrPC.
“This shows the attitude of the government of Tripura which is not an indigenous government against the indigenous people of Tripura who are the sons of the soil who have been reduced to minority in their own homeland,” he said adding “We just heard stories of oppression meted out on them but on that very day we saw how they are being oppressed by this government by none other but a non indigenous person who also hails from Bangladesh. So we could very well understand that this person will not understand the pain and suffering of the indigenous people since he also is from Bangladesh.”
Asked, the chairman said that the oppression meted out to the indigenous people of Tripura will be taken up by the NESO on a priority basis to ensure the indigenous people of the different NE states do not face the same fate.
By Our Reporter
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