NEW DELHI, Feb 12 - Manipur Congress MP Prof Thokchom Meinya on Tuesday sought immediate withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, cautioning that the people of Manipur have now started demanding pre-merger status of Manipur, the erstwhile nation state.
�My state of Manipur and the Northeast are now on the boil. They are demanding immediate withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The whole state was on no work strike since yesterday. Everyday there are some forms of strikes like dharna in public places, rallies on the national highways,� the MP said, moving a zero hour notice in Lok Sabha today.
Manipur students� bodies, civil society organisations and the elderly women of Ima Market of Imphal protested at Jantar Mantar here demanding withdrawal of the Bill that was hurriedly passed by Lok Sabha on the last day of the Winter Session 2018.
Even on the day of passing the Bill, there was complete upsurge in the entire Northeast, he said. �If this Bill is not withdrawn immediately, the fallout will be very dangerous and situation will be out of control,� the Manipur MP said.
�If the Bill is passed in its present form, there will be a huge demographic challenge in the Northeast in general and Manipur in particular. My state, Manipur got merged into the Union of India in 1949 under an infamous Manipur Merger Agreement, 1949 (MMA). This MMA was reportedly rejected by the then Manipur Assembly,� he said.
�Interestingly, this merger agreement was never ratified by the Parliament of India... Now, I urge upon the Union government to immediately take action for the ratification of this MMA by the Parliament of India,� Meinya said.
