Attending the third conclave of the North East Democratic Alliance(NEDA) in Guwahati on Sunday, Amit Shah declared that Mizoram would be the 7th NorthEastern state to become ‘Congress Mukth’.He also expressed confidence of victory in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
A shadow was cast on the function due to the protests by Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti(KMSS) and a few NGOs against the Citizenship(Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the center’s proposal to grant citizenship to migrants from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
Amidst a drizzle, hundreds of protests gathered there with black flags, banners, and black balloons to protest against Shah’s visit. The protests happened at different venues in Guwahati starting from the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport to Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra where the NEDA conclave was held.
KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi said that they were welcoming Amit Shah with black flags to make it clear that they will not allow Bangladeshis in Assam-whether they were Hindus or Muslims and that Assam would not bear the burden of illegal migrants.
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Anyway, Assam police rounded up several protesters and also detained Akhil Gogoi along with some of his supporters an hour before Amit Shah’s visit.
Mukesh Agarwal, Additional Director General of Police said that they had to take these measures to maintain law and order and to ensure the security of visiting dignitaries.
The NEDA conclave was attended by CMs of six northeastern states where BJP is in power or part of a coalition. The Chief Ministers include Sarbananda Sonowal of Assam, Pema Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh, Nongthombam Biren Singh of Manipur, Conrad Sangma of Meghalaya, Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland, and Biplab Kumar Deb of Tripura. There were other NEDA members along with members of several regional parties from different states and also BJP’s coalition partners. The state government was represented by Lok Sabha MP from Sikkim, Prem Das Rai.
Against Citizenship(Amendment) Bill, 2016
Asom Gana Parishad(AGP) which is an ally of BJPhad opposed this bill. In the third NEDA conclave, its President Atul Bora spoke against the bill. Bora said that the bill was a threat to the identity of the people there and that it would change the demography of Assam. He also said that there should not be a division based on religious lines and urged the center to not push it further. He also expressed hope that ‘Amit Shah ji will realize the gravity of the situation.’
Government’s stand against the bill was reiterated by Conrad Sangma. A negative view on the proposed Citizenship Bill was presented before a 16 member Joint Parliamentary Committee(JPC) by the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance(MDA) of which BJP is also a partner.
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