Protest against CAB to intensify if not withdrawn: Manik Sarkar
Guwahati: Former Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Sarkar said that the protest against the Citizenship bill will be intensified until it is withdrawn especially in the Northeastern region.
Addressing a protest rally against the said bill, Sarkar said that if it becomes an Act it would destroy the fundamental facet of the Indian Constitution. He further said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was determined to make the bill a law for its cheap political interest despite widespread protests across the region.
Sarkar also said that the British once divided the country and now fresh attempts are being made to further divide the nation by destroying the secular fabric of the constitution.
The Bill seeks to grant citizenship to migrants from six non-Muslim minority groups from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. If it becomes law, “outsiders” could overwhelm the locals in the northeast, political parties say.
“Numerous ethnic, religious and linguistic groups, tribals and non-tribals are living in harmony in the Northeast. Peace has been established in the Northeast after taming decades of terrorism. BJP leaders are fuelling the fire for their political and electoral gains,” he added.
The bill has faced stiff resistance from the Northeast, among the indigenous communities who fear that they will become marginalized in their own land if it is passed.
The Lok Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 ON January 8 which proposes that the Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Jains and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who are persecuted on account of their religion will be eligible for citizenship residing in the country for six years instead of 11 years.
The state has undergone massive protests since the day the bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8 and the Regional tribal political parties in the state have united across party line under the leadership of the Royal scion and working President of Congress in Tripura Pradyot Manikya Debburman on Wednesday to protest against the bill. The BJP led government in Tripura is facing massive protest against the said bill and Tripura United Indigenous People's Council (TUIPC), a joint body of 48 returnee insurgent organizations have also joined the protest.