CoHSO protest in front of BJP office in Shillong

A Reporter

SHILLONG: Leader and members of 14 pressure groups from Khasi and Jaintia Hills under the banner of Confederation of Hynniewtrep Social Organization (CoHSO) today staged a surprise protest outside the office of Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) Meghalaya at Road, Shillong.

The protest is aimed at showing opposition towards the intension of the Central Government in Delhi to introduce the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, in parliament.

It may be mentioned that on January 6, 2019 at around 11 pm in the evening unknown miscreants had hurled a petrol bomb at the BJP office.

Members of the CoHSO numbering around 30-40 gathered outside the BJP office along will placard and banners while also shouting anti-Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 slogans.

The NGOs under CoHSO includes HYC, JSU, JYF, HANM, AJSU, WJNC, EJNC, RBSU, CORP, MPUF, JSM, WKSU, WYF and HPF.

“We have come here to show our opposition on the statement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the government is trying to turn the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, into an Act,” Robertjune Kharjahrin, President of Hynniewtrep Youths Council (HYC) and Chairman of CoHSO told reporters here on Monday after the protest.

“We are not pleased with the intension of the BJP and even more so with the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) because despite seeking the opinion of the people of North East who had clearly expressed their opposition towards the implementation of Citizenship Amendment Bill in the region the centre is still moving forward with its intension to turn the bill into an Act,” he said.

The 14 pressure groups have also condemned the JPC for proceeding with the bill despite much opposition from the people of Northeast.

“We demand that the Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma should do more to oppose the bill because no further steps have been taken by the government to convey their opposition towards the bill except a resolution opposing the bill in the Assembly,” he said.

Questioning the intension of the NPP led government, he said, “We want to question the Chief Minister because if he is against the Bill proposed by the Prime Minister then why he is still appointing BJP MLA AL Hek as a cabinet Minister n the MDA government,” Kharjahrin said.

He also said that CoHSO hopes that soon the Chief Minister will remove the BJP from the MDA alliance and if they continue to work together then it shows that the government is not serious with the dangers heading the way of the indigenous people of the state through the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016.

He also urged the members of BJP in Meghalaya to convince the central government to exempt the bill from the North East region.

Also read: Meghalaya News