Convene session to discuss CAB demand raised
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 15 2019:
Nine non-BJP political parties have affirmed their stand to exert strong pressure on the State Government to convene a special Assembly session to discuss the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 at the earliest, apart from standing together for the withdrawal of the CAB which was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8.The decision was taken during a one day convention against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 which was jointly organized by the nine political parties, namely CPI, CPI (M), RSP, FB, AAP, NCP, PRJA, BSP and JD (S) at GM Hall today.
Many leaders of the said political parties strongly condemned and decried the BJP led Government's act of passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 in the Lok Sabha by completely ignoring the strong opposition from many political parties and the people of the country, particularly from the North East region.
They also deliberated on the impact of the CAB while considering the possible strategies to prevent the Bill from being passed in the Rajya Sabha.
Speaking at the function, CPI, Manipur State Council secretariat member Dr M Nara stated that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 challenges the identity and ethnicity of the minority communities in India, particularly the North East people.
He also said that the Bill is unconstitutional as the Bill is biased towards a few religion and at the same time, it undermines the secularism and democracy of India.
Alleging that the Bill is vote-bank politics, Nara decried that the BJP led coalition State Government has remained silent on the Bill and even tried to mislead the people by making several illogical statements.
He demanded a special Assembly session be convened at the earliest to thoroughly discuss the matter and to deliberate strategies to prevent the Bill from being passed in the Rajya Sabha and enacted.
Meanwhile, PRJA convenor Erendro Leichombam lambasted the BJP Government at the Centre claiming that it is trying to run a theocratic democracy in the country thereby turning the whole Nation into a Hindutva Nation and saffronizing the whole country.
Noting that 40 lakh Bangladeshis were already detected in Assam during the NRC update, he opined that the whole region of North East will be easily dominated by the foreigners coming from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan once they are given citizenship under the provision of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 .
This will lead to the annihilation of the North East people apart from curtailing the political rights of the indigenous people of the same region, said Erendro.
He also called for the collective effort of the indigenous people in the State and North East as a whole in fighting against the Bill and the BJP Government's effort to eliminate the indigenous people of the North East.
A short rally was also taken out against the Bill along Kanglapat stretch.