'Victory' on Citizenship Bill due to unity of people: Conrad Sangma

Guwahati: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday said the unity of the people and political parties ensured that the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was not tabled in Rajya Sabha and this was a victory for the northeast. Sangma arrived here from New Delhi along with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leaders Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta to a tumultuous welcome at the Lokopriyo Gopinath Bordoloi Airport.

"The bill not being presented in the Rajya Sabha is a victory of the people and political parties who voiced their opposition to the bill," he said.

This is definitely an emotional moment and "we were united for a cause and spoke in one voice to protect the interests and identity of the region," he added.

He also thanked all the political parties across the country, who came together to oppose the the contentious legislation according Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 11 years, which is the norm currently, even if they do not possess any document.

Sangma was the first chief minister of the northeast whose cabinet took the decision of not supporting the bill and was instrumental in bringing together ten political parties of the region along with the JD(U) to oppose it.

Later Bora told reporters at the party headquarters that the northeast came together to show that the centre cannot play with the interest of the indigenous population of the region.

"This should be a warning for the centre that we will in no way compromise with the future of the people of northeast," he said.

The AGP, which is a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led ruling alliance in the state, will in future take the people of the state into full confidence while entering into any alliance, the former minister said.

Asked why the resignation of the three AGP ministers have not been accepted so far, Bora said "the chief minister could only answer that".

Bora along with Keshab Mahanta and Phani Bhushan Choudhury had tendered their resignations last month after the BJP government made it clear to the AGP leadership that the bill will be passed in the Lok Sabha.

The AGP leaders thanked the Meghalaya chief minister for taking the initiative of bringing the different political parties opposed to the bill in northeast on a common platform and ensuring that the bill was not tabled in the Rajya Sabha.

He said the bill has become redundant at present and if the next government wants to bring it again then they have to start the process again from the beginning.

Bora also thanked the All Assam Students Union (AASU), Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), the various organisations and the people of Assam for their concerted efforts to ensure that the bill was not tabled in the upper house of Pariament.