KHNAM demands govt to pass anti NPR-NRC resolution in Assembly

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMarch 17, 2020

The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has demanded the MDA government to pass a resolution to oppose the Centre’s move to implement the National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) during the current budget session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, KHNAM vice president Thomas Passah said that a delegation of the party also met the chief minister Conrad K Sangma and requested for his intervention into the matter.

“We have demanded the state government to consider passing a resolution to oppose the NPR and NRC in Meghalaya,” Passah said.

He said that the Government of India has proposed to start the NPR exercise from Arpil 1 till September 30.

He also said that the MHA has also maintained that the NPP is the first step to NRC.

According to him, the NRC exercise will be based on the data collected through the NPR.

“This will pose a serious threat to indigenous people of the state as they may be categorized as illegal immigrants on the ground that citizenship is being based on birth certificates, as per such exercises,” he said.

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He said according to Department of Education the literacy rate of Meghalaya was only 26.92% until 1961 whilst the first ever college built in Shillong was only in 1924. 

Despite the widespread awareness and increased literacy rate in current times; several individuals still exist who pay very less attention towards the correction and preservation of their important documents.

“If such is the case today, then what can be expected of those who lived in times when the literacy rate was only 26.92% and documents were carelessly handled or in the very least, people were not as vigilant with regards to their documents as they are in present day? And, since the entire exercise of NRC revolves around valid documents (without any mistakes) dated before 1951 or 1971 (according to Assam model) expecting the tribal communities of Meghalaya passing this Exam with 100% marks would be unrealistic,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs Notification, New Delhi, the 10th December, 2003, Sec 4 the local registrar visiting our houses for the collection of information is bestowed with arbitrary power of declaring anyone as doubtful citizen for further enquiry. After which according to (5) (a) he/she would be given a chance to prove their citizenship before a final decision is taken whether to include or exclude them from the citizenship register.

In other words, it means that such individuals would have to go through the NRC and until the completion of the process they would be referred as D – Voters (doubtful – voter).

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“This is the most dangerous rule because it gives absolute power to the registrar to declare anyone as doubtful according to his whims. Massive misuse of such power could be taken advantage of. Excessive delegation of power given by the Government without any guidelines is illegal,” he said.

“Aren’t the Christians going to Retain Back Their Citizenship through the Process of CAA? A major fallacy might be prevailing that NRC isn’t going to affect them because they are Christians. Thinking, even if their names are cut off from the final NRC list, they would be able to retain back their citizenship through the process of CAA. Well, the immediate reply is that CAA is not applicable in Meghalaya VI Schedule areas. But let us presume, supposing that a “Khasi Christian” is unable to get enlisted in the NRC exercise. The immediate effect would be that he would be termed a doubtful (D) Voter and his rights as citizen would fall off. The next presumable option for him is to apply through the CAA. Now starts the real draconian game which is the hidden agenda of the government. The mandatory requirement by the applicant would be to declare and admit that he/she was an illegal immigrant and had entered India on or before 31st December 2014. The next step would be for the Government to accept or reject his/her application; until then, he would have to remain ‘satisfied and happy’ as a second class citizen,” Passah said.

The KHNAM leader further alleged that the CAA, NPR and NRC are nothing but an organized well planned weapon created by the BJP government in order to discriminate on the basis of religion.

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“They have been formed in order to fulfil the theory of Savarkar, the founder of RSS, of creating a Hindu Rashtra with the ideology of Hindutva. It may also be used as a tool of identifying and stripping off most of the anti BJP Voters rights to vote, thus preparing for a clean swipe in the 2024 elections,” he said.