UDP resolves to vehemently oppose citizenship bill

SHILLONG, JAN 28: The United Democratic Party, the main ally of the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) today resolved to vehemently oppose the move of the Centre to implement the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill passed recently in the Lok Sabha.

The party has also decided to attend the meeting of all the regional political parties from the North East region in Guwahati, Assam on Tuesday, to demand the immediate withdrawal of the Bill.

After the CEC meeting of the party held on Monday, UDP senior working Bindo M Lanong said, “We have adopted a resolution to oppose the Bill piloted and sponsored by the Centre under the BJP to regularise and invite all those people from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh to come to India and become Indian citizens.”

Accusing the BJP of playing vote bank politics, Lanong said the party is also of the view that the citizenship issue should be dealt within the law of the citizenship act and illegal migrant act.

“Under these relevant acts the question of citizenship should be dealt with but not for the purpose of vote investment as done by the BJP,” he said adding that the Bill if allowed to become a law will threaten the security of the country and North East in particular.

The former deputy chief minister further recalled that the then Assam Governor SK Sinha had written to the President of India in 1998 about the several lakhs of people from Bangladesh who infiltrated into India but the Centre did not do anything about it.

He said that is why Assam has been agitating from the beginning till now against this infiltration from Bangladesh to Assam.

According to him, Meghalaya will be the first state in the North East region to get affected by this adverse effect of infiltration by foreigners in neigbouring Assam.

The UDP senior leader further informed that the party will also attend the meeting called by the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in Guwahati tomorrow.

“We are going to take up unilaterally with other regional political parties so that we can together oppose this Bill and ensure that they (Centre) abrogate and withdraw so that it does not become an Act,” he said.

Reiterating that if the Bill becomes an act, it will officially regularise and open the gate for the people from those countries to come and settled in India, Lanong said, “Therefore, we will take a united stand against this Bill.”

In addition to this, UDP general secretary Jemino Mawthoh informed that the party would also write to all the chief ministers of the North East urging the need to work in close coordination to safeguard the rights and interest of the indigenous people of the region.

“We need to work together as it is us who has to decide about the future and destiny of the region and also to address the concerns of small communities,” Mawthoh said as he also asserted the need to come out with more effective mechanisms for protecting and safeguarding the interest of the indigenous communities in the NE region.

Asked whether the UDP is considering to move out from the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), Lanong  said that the party will see and discuss tomorrow before taking any decision on the matter.

Mawthoh however reminded that the NEDA’s focus is purely on the development of the North East and that they have never talked about political relationships.

By Our Reporter