Now Manipur makes their stand clear against Citizenship Bill

At a time when Assam is going through one of the toughest periods in its history over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 issue, its neighboring states and their strong leadership have continued to keep themselves at safe distance from providing rehabilitation to immigrants and turning their states into mere dumping grounds.

After Meghalaya and Nagaland, now Manipur also has assured that their state is not cursed by the implementation of the Citizenship Bill.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Saturday met Rajnath Singh at his residence to have a dialogue on the Citizenship Amendment Bill amidst ongoing public protests in the North Eastern region against the controversial Bill.

He also urged Rajnath Singh to respect the Manipur People’s (Protection) Bill, 2018. The Manipur People’s (Protection) Bill, 2018 was passed in the State Assembly in 2018 to control influx non-Manipuris from outside the State.

It is noteworthy that the Manipur government has been constantly raising the demand for keeping the state out of the proposed Citizenship  Bill, which also includes a number of other Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA) constituents in the northeast that includes  the National People’s Party (heading a coalition government with the BJP in Meghalaya), Asom Gana Parishad (AGP, BJP’s alliance in Assam), Mizo National Front (MNF), the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT, a partner in the Tripura government) and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP, heading a coalition government with the BJP in Nagaland).

It’s high time now that Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal take a stand against the Bill and for the people taking leaf out of the pages from Biren Singh and Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, who have wholeheartedly opposed the Bill since its inception.