Citizenship bill passed intentionally to lessen NE indigenous people: NESO

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, January 8, 2019: Passing of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 in the Lok Sabha today was an intentional move to reduce the indigenous peoples of the North East to a minority in our own land, said the North East Students’ Organisation  (NESO).

A press statement released by NESO said in spite of the wide protest the government of India passed this Bill in the Lok Sabha which only goes to show that the government of India has no regard for the Indigenous peoples of the North East.

It said “this Bandh may have caused inconvenience, but for the purpose of highlighting our strong opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, we have no other alternative but to resort to this form of agitation and also to show the unity of the people of North East”.

The  North  East  Students’  Organisation  (NESO),  comprising  of  the  Khasi  Students’  Union  (KSU),  All  Assam  Students’  Union  (AASU),  Naga  Students’  Federation  (NSF),  Mizo  Zirlai  Pawl  (MZP),  Twipra  Students’  Federation  (TSF),  All  Manipur  Students’  Union  (AMSU),  Garo  Students’  Union  (GSU)  and  All  Arunachal  Pradesh  Students’ Union  (AAPSU),  representing  eight  major  students’  movements  of  the  seven  North  Eastern  States  thanked the people of the North Eastern states for their kind co-operation in making the North East Bandh a total success and also to all the constituent organizations of NESO for effectively implementing the bandh on the ground.

The unwarranted firing on unarmed tribal protestors by the Tripura police is highly condemnable and it is evident from this incident that the indigenous communities of Tripura are not only marginalized but also oppressed and suppressed by the government of Tripura headed by non-indigenous Tripuris. NESO will not be quiet but we will keep on following up on this very vital issue and will take appropriate   decisions with full faith that we will continue to have your unstinted support so as to protect our distinct identity and our future generations, said the conglomerate students’ body.