AIZAWL, May 21: Joining
their counterparts across North
East, Mizoram’s apex students’
body Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP)
staged a sit-in protest against
the proposed Citizenship
Amendment Bill here today.
About 500 activists, with
banners and placards in hand,
raised slogans against Citizenship
Amendment Bill, demanding
the Centre to immediately
withdraw the Bill.
The
MZP also appealed to people
to join them in their protest
against the Bill.
Speaking at the sit-in organised
in front of Vanapa Hall
here, MZP president L Ramdinliana
Renthlei said, “The
proposed Citizenship Amendment
Bill, if passed in the Parliament,
will pose a serious
threat to the indigenous people
of NE and Mizoram. It will
open a wide door for social assimilation
to the people, who
are already facing such threats
from Bangladesh.”
He said all civil society groups
in Mizoram are opposed to the
proposed Bill and have submitted
a joint memorandum to the
Centre, but to no avail. He
stressed the need for the State
legislators to come forward in
unison and pass a legislation
against the Bill.
MZP president further said
the Joint Parliamentary Committee
(JPC) on Citizenship
Amendment Bill, 2016 refused
to visit Mizoram.
“The JPC visited NE on May
10. It had ignored our (joint
NGOs) prayer to visit Mizoram.
If the Bill is passed without consulting
the people of Mizoram,
it means that the Centre does
not consider Mizoram as part of
India,” Renthlei said.
Imphal Correspondent
adds: A sit-in protest against
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
2016 was held under the aegis
of All Manipur Students’ Union
(AMSU) here on Monday.
AMSU, a constituent body
of North East Students Organisation
(NESO) which had
termed the Bill unconstitutional
and not acceptable as the
identity of the indigenous people
was at stake, also submitted
a memorandum to Chief
Minister N Biren Singh and
urged him to oppose the proposed
Citizenship (Amendment)
Bill 2016.
Recently, a NESO delegation
including representatives
of AMSU attended the Joint
Parliamentary Committee
hearing at Shillong on Citizenship
(Amendment) Bill 2016
and expressed its reservations
against the Bill.
Opposition Manipur People’s
Party (MPP) had strongly condemned
the move of NDA
Government on formation of
JPC on Citizenship (Amendment)
Bill 2016 while Manipur
and Assam are struggling for
implementation of indigenous
people protection Act.-Assam Tribune
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