Northeastern States to Suffer Same Fate as Tripura if CAB is Enacted: Ex-Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma

Shillong, October 2, 2019:

Meghalaya's former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Wednesday cautioned that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill could erode the identity of the Northeastern states and change the demographics of the Hill states.

While speaking to Inside Northeast, Sangma said that it is important for the nation's leaders to understand the opinions from different parts of the country and stated that the leaders be receptive to the sentiments of the ethnic people.

Responding to Amit Shah's assertion that the CAB will be enacted in the near-future, he said, "for any Government, it is expected that it should respond to the aspirations of the people. Further, the Government should take people on board in respect to contentious issues."

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Sangma also said that the Central Government should take into cognizance the concerns of people coming from ethnic populace. In regards to the demography, there are diverse ethnic groups from the Northeast. The Government needs to have an in-depth understanding of the problems of these peoplem, Sangma said.

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Speaking about the dire situation in Tripura, Sangma opined, "In Tripura, for instance, there is no mechanism to protest the indigenous people. The scenario in Tripura is taken as reference, as Northeastern ethnic communities have become minorities in their own lands."

"When the CAB is acceptable to people, it could have disastrous ramifications in regards to the demography of the nation. The voices of the ethnic minorities should be protected. We may not be many in number, but there is a need to understand the historical background", Sangma warned.

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Importance to understand the beauty in the diversity in the beauty of this nation. Speaking along the lines of the Assam NRC, Sangma said that it is the responsibility of the Government to protect the bona fide citizens of the country. "Many genuine citizens have been excluded from the NRC. It is necessary to get to the root of that. A faulty system is in place -- there is a need to correct that system. Even brides from Meghalaya, who married men from Assam, were left out of the list. They were taken to Assam as daughters, and it is shocking that they have been left stateless. This approach must be reviewed, and promptly corrected."

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