HNLC: Centre treat minorities as second-class citizens

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJanuary 17, 2019

SHILLONG: The proscribed Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has accused the Centre of treating the minority communities as “second-class citizens” of the country.

“Even after 72 years of independence, what the Government of India has given the minority communities is second-class citizenship and scheduled tribe status,” HNLC General Secretary-cum-Publicity Secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw said in a statement on Thursday.

He also added, “Such statuses given to us only shows that we (minority communities) are no less than the 21^st century slaves.”

Nongtraw was reacting to the recent decision of the BJP-led NDA government at the centre to pass the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, in the Lok Sabha.

The Bill has drawn criticism from several quarters including political parties and pressure groups citing that the law if implemented will no doubt affect the indigenous people of Meghalaya, which shares 443 km international border with neighbouring Bangladesh.

Holding the opposition Congress equally responsible, the HNLC leader said it was the Congress which had signed the Indo-Nepal Treaty 1950 and it was the same party which had allowed Bangladeshis Hindus to reside at Umpling in 1970.

“There was no repartriation of these Bangladeshis Hindus ever since 1970 and now the BJP wants to grant them citizenship through the Citizenship Amendment Bill,” he said.

Referring to the widespread protests against the passing of this bill in the North East region including Meghalaya, Nongtraw however lamented that such protests in a democratic set up have been declared illegal.

He further slammed the state police for being quick in slapping cases against protesters and said, “Such action only indicates that we are living in a police state.”

Meanwhile, the HNLC general secretary said that the Government of India should grant freedom to the states if it cannot ensure equality to every citizen.