North East Linguistic and Ethnic Coordination Committee To Take Up Cudgel for Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016

Special Correspondent

Silchar: After the publication of the second draft of NRC, there has been a lot of mixed reaction across the country at which North East Linguistic and Ethnic Coordination Committee (NELECC) has expressed its serious concern. NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela has repeatedly spoken about the publication of second draft to be fair and just. Unfortunately, as Kankan Narayan Sikidar, general secretary of the Committee, has pointed out the draft list is full of errors. Names of genuine Indian citizens have been left out. The filing of claims and objections as well as corrections is to begin from August 10. But, the 40 lakh plus left outs have been branded ‘infiltrators’, bringing calumny and humiliation to them, felt Sikidar.

Expressing their deep resentment and anguish at the way the second draft, though not the final, has been waywardly and irresponsibly brought out shows how Prateek Hajela has failed to keep his words of fair and just NRC. At a press-meet held here on Monday, NELECC leaders who included Dr Bibhas Deb, working president, Santanu Naik, advisor, Morningstar Suja, president, Khasi-Jaintia Students’ Association, Barak Valley, Jackson Barman, president, All Dimasa Students’ Union, Cachar, Dhrubendu Shekhar Bhattacharjee, advocate, Supreme Court, among others, vehemently opposed the use of word ‘infiltrators’ at this stage.

Since the entire process of NRC update is going on under the direct monitoring and supervision of the Supreme Court and the walling up of final draft is still awaited, the irresponsible and irrational observations and comments by various political parties, their leaders and Parliamentarians are objected to and condemned by NELECC. The post draft prevailing peace and harmony is mainly due to the awareness of the general people of the state. They have not fallen into the ill motivated design of outside forces. This trust and confidence among people will continue, Committee members expected.

NELECC has also observed with dismay how the people moving through Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh from the valleys of Barak and Brahmaputra have been subjected to harassment by the student organizations and police in the aftermath of the NRC draft publication. When the update of NRC is yet to be completed, this kind of harassment to the people and tourists of Assam is really condemnable. NELECC will soon send a delegation to these neighbouring states for a dialogue with the student organizations and the state administrations of these states concerned. Such harassment will have its backlash, the Committee apprehended.

NELECC has also decided to extend all sorts of legal help to all the left outs and for this a cell of 48 member team of lawyers has been created. Besides, NRC help desks at all the blocks of the three districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi have been set up, pointed out Santanu Naik. All sections of people have been advised to contact the NELECC office at Hospital road, Silchar. NELECC has also decided to continue mobilization of public opinion for the early passage of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 as well as taking the campaign to the national capital.

The Hindu Bengal refugees uprooted from their hearths and homes of their native land of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, need shelter and protection as promised by the great national leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel during the partition of the country. The Central government is taking all possible legislative measures for the passage of the Bill. It was revealed at the press-briefing that a NELECC under the leadership of Morningstar Suja, president, Khasi-Jaintia Students’ Association, Barak Valley, will go to Meghalaya and hold discussions with KSU.