AMSU, NESO oppose Citizenship Bill tooth & nail
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 21 2018: Registering a strong protest against the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 that seeks to allow illegal migrants from certain minority communities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible for Indian citizenship, All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU) and North East Students' Organisation (NESO) jointly staged a sit-in-protest at Keishampat Keisham Leikai community hall today.

The two students' bodies threatened to take up different modes of intense agitation in case the Bill is not revoked.

Speaking to media persons, AMSU vice-president Peter Laishram said that AMSU and NESO stand against the bid of the Central Government to implement the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 all over the country.

He conveyed that sit-in-protests were staged in different parts of the North East States today in protest against the Bill that poses a serious threat to the existence of indigenous people of the country particularly those of the North East region.

He reminded that AMSU and the Government had reached agreements in 1980 and 1994 that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will not be implemented.

An agreement was also reached between the two parties that detected foreign immigrants will be deported back to their countries, he added.

He asked as to why the Chief Minister of Manipur is not making statements against the Bill till now when the Chief Minister of Meghalaya has come out openly in condemnation of the Bill.

Different forms of severe agitation will be launched if the Central Government tries to implement the Bill forcefully, he cautioned.

After staging the protest demonstration, representatives of AMSU and NESO went to submit a memorandum against the Bill each to the Governor and Chief Minister.

The memorandum stated that the illegal immigrants have systemically occupied the Government lands, the forest lands and tribal lands in every State of the North East region causing suffer to the ethnic communities politically and socially.

It stated that the Manipur Accord has promised to evict the illegal immigrants from these areas and the Bill is against the MoU signed between AMSU and Government of Manipur in 1980 and 1994.The indigenous population of Tripura was outnumbered by illegal immigrants from the erstwhile East Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Tripura was already lost its identity, it added.

It mentioned that the proposed Bill is another effort to encourage infiltration of the Hindus from Bangladesh into Manipur and other States of the North East region and as such we should resist creation of another Tripura in any part of the region.

The memorandum requested the concerned lawmakers and members of the committee to appreciate the effort to strengthen the secular fabric of the country.

Religion might have played a part at the time of creation of India and Pakistan but the Indian constitution was prepared in a secular framework.

The proposed Bill is antithesis to secular idealism of the country, it stated.

Asserting that the Bill should not be adopted by the Parliament under any circumstances, it urged the authority concerned to take up necessary action for the welfare of all the indigenous people of the State.

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