TURA, Nov 18 - The Garoland State Movement Committee (GSMC) on Monday came down heavily on Meghalaya Home Minister James PK Sangma over his statement that the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) would have no impact on the state.
Sangma apparently made the statement during an interview on an Assam-based TV channel.
The GSMC stated that it wanted a clear stand from the NPP-led government over whether it supported CAB or was against it. �The statement given by the Home Minister is irresponsible and amounts to succumbing to the ideology of the BJP government, which has hurt the sentiments of the people of the state,� said its chairman Nikman Marak.
Marak said the states of Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh were opposing CAB despite having anti-immigration laws, fearing the future existence of the indigenous people.
Home Minister James PK Sangma has also drawn the ire of the Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) over his comments on CAB. �When the whole of the North East is opposing it, the National People�s Party (NPP) should do away with hypocrisy and double standards and clear its stand on this communally motivated Bill once and for all,� the MPYC said.
The MPYC said that when CAB was introduced in 2016, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma was the MP of Tura and part of the government that introduced the Bill. �He was silent then and other than photo ops with Central leaders, what did he do to earn the moniker �Iconic Hero of North East�?� asked MPYC president Richard Marak.
