GUWAHATI, July 14 - An anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 conclave of human rights and civil society organizations of the northeastern region held at Dimapur in Nagaland today decided to form a �North East Coordination Committee� against the controversial Bill with coordinators from among the indigenous peoples of Assam, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.
The conclave in its resolution said that having critically deliberated and appreciated the contents and intent of the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and understanding the threats posed by the proposed Bill to the very existence of the indigenous peoples to their very survival, their land and their future, the participants of the conclave resolutely resolved that such communal, anti-constitutional and anti-indigenous peoples Bill must not be allowed to be imposed upon Northeast India against people�s will.
It further said that the coordination committee formed by it will mobilize the people of the region to adopt a united stand and an action plan at all fronts against the Bill. The committee will also organize a sustained movement, hold simultaneous demonstrations in all the northeastern states� capitals against the Bill to prevent it from being enacted by the country�s Parliament, a statement received here this evening said.
Moreover, the coordination committee will submit memoranda to the President of India and the chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Bill and hold joint demonstration of the indigenous peoples of the region in Delhi to register their opposition to the Bill.
The coordinators nominated by the conclave for leading the proposed movement against the Bill include Golap Baruah alias Anup Chetia and Lachit Bordoloi from Assam, Patal Kanya Jamatia and Nandalal Jamatia from Tripura, Tage Lapung and Tadar Tarish from Arunachal Pradesh, Longjam Ratankumar and Bishanjit Loitongbam from Manipur and Neingulo Krome and N Venuh from Nagaland.
ULFA leader Golap Baruah alias Anup Chetia, who too was one of the organizers of the conclave, told this newspaper that the indigenous people of Meghalaya could not send their representatives to the conclave due to some problems, while the indigenous people of Mizoram failed to send their representatives due to heavy landslides blocking their main roads. But the indigenous peoples of both these states have sent letters supporting the conclave, Baruah said.
