KHADC to pass official resolution against CAB

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 15, 2019

SHILLONG: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) has decided to pass an official resolution to oppose the Centre’s move to implement the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016.

“We will pass an official resolution to express our strong opposition against the CAB in the upcoming session of the Council to be held from November 19,” KHADC chief Teinwell Dkhar told reporters after the meeting of the executive committee held here on Friday.

Earlier, the KHADC has also sought the intervention of the chief minister Conrad K Sangma to ensure that the state is exempted from the applicability of the CAB in order to safeguard the rights and interests of the indigenous people of the state.

In its memorandum submitted to Sangma, the KHADC said it strongly opposed the CAB in its present form which inter alia seeks to provide that persons belonging to minority communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan if they enter India before December 31, 2014 shall not be treated as illegal immigrants and that the Third Schedule of the 1955 Act is proposed to be amended to decrease the residence requirement from 11 years to six years.

“The CAB seeks to make drastic changes in the citizenship and immigration norms of the country by relaxing the requirements for Indian citizenship,” it said adding “The EC is of the opinion that the eligibility criterion to grant citizenship to these illegal immigrants is unreasonable and unlawful.”