Setting date with February 12, 2019 : Likely scenario in NE
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: February 12 2019 -
February 12, 2019. Now what happens if the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is tabled on the floor of the Upper House and passed ?
What are the likely scenario that may follow in the North Eastern States ?
As things stand at the moment, security has been tightened in Assam and in Manipur additional forces have been deployed at the residence of all the Ministers and MLAs and surely these steps are in line with what may happen in the Rajya Sabha.
It is also in line with what has been happening in Imphal in the last many days.
Make sure, the protests staged at different places of Imphal in the last many days could not be the handiwork of some rag tag army of agitators, but they all seem to be working under a well laid out plan and that is to mobilise people’s support and co-operation as much as possible against CAB.
And despite the restraints shown by the State police in tackling with the agitators, particularly the womenfolk, they seem to be falling right into the hands of the agitators.
Why else were six women injured in a stand off with the cops at Khwairamband Keithel on February 10 ?
True it is the duty of the police to uphold the rule of law but isn’t it also equally true that there are times when it is wiser to give the protesters the long rope as long as they do not blatantly violate the law ?
And surely staging sit in protests and taking out protest rallies cannot be deemed to be violating the rule of law.
Remember the issue is sensitive, very sensitive and this is a point which must have registered in the consciousness of everyone, but the only hitch is not enough mind seems to have been applied to the case at hand.
So what can one expect if the Bill is tabled in the Rajya Sabha on February 12 as widely believed to be.
There are reasons to believe this, for surely a widely respected paper like the Assam based Pratidin will not come out with half baked stories.
Having said this, the BJP led Government not tabling the Bill cannot be ruled out too.
However if this is a line of thought that has been some thought, then surely Prime Minister Narendra Modi could have announced this when he campaigned in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura a few days back.
Political prudence however says that to the BJP the die is already cast, for even if the Bill is not tabled in the Rajya Sabha, its intent would have been clear to all and surely it cannot be seen to be speaking in two tongues.
It is also clear that the Centre is aware of the point that the North Eastern States will bear the brunt once the Bill is enacted.
It is for this very reason why Union Home Minister Rajknath Singh announced that perks may be in line for those who opt to stay outside the North East region.
If the Bill is not likely to impact on the North East, then why dole out such an assurance is the natural question that follows.
As noted earlier, the next few days can certainly be stormy, very stormy.
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