CIRCA joins hand with Assam bodies
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 25 2015 : Coalition for Indigenes' Rights Campaign (CIRCA), Assam Meitei Apunba Lup (AMAL) and Assam Sanmilita Mahasanga have resolved to bring all the indigenous people of the North East region to a common platform to collectively fight the common threats.

Addressing a joint press conference held at Manipur Press Club, Assam Sanmilita Mahasanga working president Matiur Rahman said that the whole of the North East region is in a grave danger due to illegal migrants.

Matiur Rahman said that the Supreme Court in its verdict in 2005 declared the illegal foreigners problem as 'silent aggression' .

According to Article 355 of the Constitution of India, it is the duty of the Central Government to save the States from the 'silent aggression' .

In spite of Mahasangha's repeated request, the Central Government has not done anything in this regard.

So, Mahasangha had filed a PIL at the Supreme Court on December 2012 and hearing has been done 21 times till date, Matiur Rahman said.

The two Judges Division Bench referred the said case to a Constitutional Bench on December 17, 2014, he said and added that however, the Constitutional Bench is not yet constituted ever after the lapse of nine months.

It is a secret understanding between judiciary and executive, he alleged.

The first Census of India was conducted in 1951, so the base year of foreigners' identification must be 1951, he observed.

However, the Central Government has fixed 1971 as the base year in Assam, he said.

The ongoing National Register of Citizens (NRC) update has fixed 1971 as the base year in Assam.

As such, the Centre may fix the same year as the base year in other North East States as well, he speculated.

Matiur Rahman said that Modi Government is planning to issue citizenship to Hindu minorities of Pakistan and Bangladesh, who had illegally entered into Assam and other North East States on or before December 31, 2014 .

Mahasangha is ready to challenge it in the Supreme Court, he said.

All the indigenous communities of the North East region must collectively fight the 'silent aggression' of foreigners, he said.

Taking part at the press conference, CIRCA spokesperson Ningthoucha Lancha said that the indigenous people of the North East region would be wiped out if the Government forcibly impose 1971 as the base year for foreigner's identification.

He said that the three bodies have resolved to jointly organise a people's parliament of all the indigenous communities and ethnic groups of the region with a vision to resolve all these issues and threats through a collective and unified effort in the line of UNDRIP 2007 in November.

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