Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) on Thursday announced that the party would be organizing a “peaceful public protest rally” against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and NRC at Khermahal Police Point, Dimapur on December 21, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee through its communications department has appealed to all responsible citizens, civil society groups, NGOs, Congress party officials and party workers available in Dimapur, supporters and well wishers to show solidarity in the peaceful public protest rally and bring their own placards to send “a clear message” opposing Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
NH condemns amended Citizenship Act: Naga Hoho (NH) Thursday vehemently condemned the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, saying the Act was against the general wishes of the people of India and particularly the Northeast and the Naga people.
In a press release, Naga Hoho general secretary, K Elu Ndang, said that the hoho has been strongly voicing out against the Bill since its introduction in the Parliament in 2016.
Expressing solidarity with all organisations and government in various states opposing the Act, the hoho also condemned the “short sighted attitude” of three Naga members of Parliament for voting in favour of the bill despite people sharply opposing it.
The Hoho maintained that amended Citizenship Act, if implemented, would empower the “Illegal migrants” to equate with the bona fide Nagas besides violating the fundamental rights of citizens.
“The Act itself is anti-secular, discriminatory, anti-constitution and anti-indigenous people of the northeast,” Naga Hoho stated.
Though the Central government had announced exemption on those Inner Line Permit (ILP) protected states, the hoho expressed concern that once citizenship was granted to the illegal migrants, the provision of ILP cannot protect the Nagas
NLSF opposes amended Citizenship Act: Nagaland Law Students’ Federation (NLSF) has reiterated its strong opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, saying it steadfastly stood with the people in vehemently opposing the idea of India based on religious lines.
In a press statement, NLSF president C Talimoa and assistant general secretary Atoni Shohe said that the fundamental principles—secularism and equality—were “self evident truths” on which the “Union of India”, and not the electoral mandate, was built upon.
The federation asserted that stifling of people’s voices through the muzzle of power would only lead to an atmosphere of mistrust among all sections of society.
NLSF maintained that the government seemed to be oblivious and indifferent to the pulse of the people. The federation also stated that the Centre seemed to have forgotten its paramount duty to its own citizen and has extended “superficial sympathy” in the form of Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 to foreigners.
The federation reminded that governments with amnesia of history would fare well to heed to the voice of the people least it be brought down by the very people that gave its electoral mandate.
“The silver lining has been the people of India especially the youth who have stood with the ideals of the founding fathers of our Nation as envisioned and enshrined in the Constitution – India, a Union of equals sans creed, caste, religion and ethnicity,” NLSF remarked.