An open letter to the people

Khrotsolo Rhakho *

The (CAB) that have been passed is not a matter that should be taken lightly it is a very serious issue that will clearly destroy us in the days to come. Citizenship Amendment Bill which is now an Act will reshape the whole of India but not in a good way. This Act is not only a direct threat to the fabric of Secularism but also the rights of indigenous people.

No promise, No assurance and No legal/administrative measures from government can save us from the “irreversible change” that this unconstitutional, scary, communal Act will bring. This Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 is going to create following troubles:

1. It will grant citizenship to already existing Illegal Bangladeshi Hindu Immigrants who are millions in number. Every Naga knows this fact. When I wake up and go to College I witness this reality.

2. It will gradually create irreparable, irreversible damage to the demography of a region.

3. Inner Line Permit System, 6th Schedule, Autonomous District Councils and special provisions like Art. 371 (A) will be useless, helpless, meaningless to tackle the menace that would soon be created by Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.

4. As it is by bringing ILP in entire tribal region of the northeast this cunning Act created new class of people which is against the spirit of the Constitution. This is a clear cut attempt of ‘APARTHEID’.

5. Finally, this Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 is highly discriminatory. This ‘specific’, ‘hidden’ feature of Act becomes visible when its provisions are read with the provisions/rules of N.R.C. The Illegal Immigrants (numbered 19,06,657 according to ‘The Hindu’ newspaper) could not make it to NRC/ excluded from N.R.C. now will be ‘legalized’ and ‘naturalized’ through Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.

Moreover it is learned that maximum illegal immigrants who are out of NRC are Hindus (Reference:
https://www.indiatoday.in ).

19 Lakh is not a small a number. In Nagaland we have millions of Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants, other states in the northeast too face more or less similar situation. Total number of Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants will be much more than what we can ever imagine. Therefore, this matter of CAA is not that simple to understand.

As we all know that India is known for its diverse culture but this ‘Citizenship Amendment Act’, 2019 will clearly destroy the diversity of India. We all should know the critical condition that we are in right now and should take a stand if not now; then the Citizenship Amendment Act will become the root of all the problems that we will face in the later days to come.

If we do not wake up and stand against and oppose it strongly in Constitutional way, then later it will become a Cancer and bring darker days not only to our generation but for our future generations also.

Remember; peace and justice cannot be achieved just by sitting at our home and asking for it but instead it is fought. We the people (in general) have the bad habit of waiting for others to take a stand first then we fallow. Why? (“The question remain”).

This monstrous piece of legislation called as Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 might not show its symptoms right now in Nagaland but mark my words, and I am bringing my words on record; that later it will surely do and when that does we will stand to lose our right to complain because it was us who did not take a stand at the first place. When entire India was exercising its constitutional right to protest we were waiting in line to stock up petrol. Why?

Have WE forgotten our fighting spirit due to easy prosperity, money and little power? Where are our Civil Society Groups, Where are our Students organizations?

With UNITY our ancestors fought good battles in the past. We were undefeated. Our forefathers fought against every injustice with bravery. Now, the battlefields have been shifted, “Thoughts and Pen” has taken place of “Dao and Spear” and the “Constitution of India” has become our shield.

If we are to keep quite now and see others suffering then later the problems will face toward us and when that happen imagine suffering without any comfort from other (it will be hell).If there is any hope for those who are suffering then be that hope be that ray of light in the life of those who are suffering and are already in the darkness.

I beseech all of you to kindly exercise your Constitutional Rights under Article. 19, Article. 21, Article. 32, Article. 226/27 of the Constitution of India and save Nagaland from the upcoming dark shadow of Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.

We now know very well that every protected area including ours and all those areas under their own special constitutional provisions as well as 6th Schedule, and Autonomous Districts are going to take the first blow of the Act.

How are we going to protect ourselves? Politically speaking, it is a fact that, the state Government is not in a position at all to oppose the Law, or take position against it. Inner Line Permit is an Illusion. Assurance from Central Government is not going to work. Therefore, the time has come that every citizen of Nagaland must invoke his Fundamental Rights under Constitution of India.

Article 19 of the Constitution gives us right to dissent and protest in peaceful manner. When are we going to use this right? Art. 32 which in itself is a Fundamental Right give us a right to approach to Supreme Court to challenge violation of our Fundamental Rights.

Introduction of Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 is direct, total, absolute, complete, systematic violation of our Fundamental Rights as individual, as well as people. We cannot afford to be selfish and be happy in our own world.

I am a college going student, but I want to tell my people to educate themselves about the evils of Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. We must oppose it not just because it is unconstitutional, but because it is like a chronic incurable disease that once caught is bound to deliver ‘patient’ in the arms of death.

Entire northeast including Nagaland is infested with Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants. This is not a question of just a survival of the Secular spirit of India, but also a social, cultural, political and economic survival of you and me-us as people!