NEW DELHI, Feb 13 - As soon as Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House sine die, an euphoric opposition and various organisations that were following the developments closely hailed it as victory for people of Assam and North East.
Former chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, said that it was victory for Assam. He thanked the Congress MPs of both the Houses for their role in getting the Bill shelved. He also thanked the chief ministers of the North Eastern States for their role.
Sonowal Government is now cornered and Himanta Biswa Sarma wanted to destroy Assam, he said.
NEDA was set up to unite all regional parties now stands in disarray, Gogoi commented.
Ripun Bora said that they were coordinating with all members of various political parties and he wants to congratulate the people of Assam. �We spoke in one voice and opposed the CAB,� he said.
Rakibul Hussain said that they were confident of defeating the BJP-led alliance. The defeat of the Bill is a victory for the people of Assam,� he said.
Meanwhile, president of AGP Atul Bora describing it as a great moment said that North East has emerged victorious. He also thanked Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. �We will not tolerate anything that will damage North East,� he said.
Bora, who was accompanied by Keshab Mahanta and others including former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta when asked about the future of their alliance with BJP, said that they will ponder over it and take a decision.
Meanwhile, the development has left the ruling Party ally BPF in a tight spot, as the BJP leadership did not take them into confidence. Rajya Sabha MP, Biswajit Daimary said that they knew that the Bill will come, but the NDA did not take them seriously enough to discuss the issue with them,� he said.
He further revealed that in their meeting with NDA leaders, they have been telling that the Bill should not be tabled. �We were unnecessarily dragged into the controversy,� he said.
Joining the issue, KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi said that the defeat of the Bill in the Parliament is a victory for secularism as communalist forces have been defeated. �We worked on behalf of the North East and thank the Opposition and urge them to celebrate the occasion, �he said.
General secretary of AJYCP Palash Changmai said that the CAB has united the people of Assam. It also shows that all organisations in Assam are united.
Meanwhile, Conrad Sangma hailed the development. Conrad along with Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, AGP president Atul Bora, and Keshab Mahanta thanked everyone who opposed the CAB in a press conference.
But Conrad treaded carefully when asked about snapping of ties with the BJP over this contentious issue. �Ties with the BJP is a political issue which will be decided during the elections and we are now in coalition in Meghalaya and Manipur,� he said.
�It is indeed a great and an emotional moment for all the citizens of North East, apart from the country. Even at the political and social platform, students� bodies, civil societies, NGO�s have been standing together to oppose the CAB.
And today the sentiments of the people especially of the North East have prevailed. The voice of the people has prevailed. It�s a great moment for each one of us,� he said.
