NEFIP to hold public protests against CAB

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 26, 2019

SHILLONG: The North East Forum for Indigenous People has decided to hold public protests in all the North east states including Meghalaya on October 3, as a mark of strong opposition against the Centre’s move to implement the Citizenship Amendment Bill. 

The decision was taken at the first central executive council meeting of the NEFIP held at Kohima, Nagaland on Wednesday. 

The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organization (CoMSO), a conglomeration of 12 pro-ILP NGOs, is also one of the members of the NEFIP, which comprising of over 250 social organizations. 

“We have decided to hold public protests in all the states of the region as a mark of opposing the move of the Centre to implement the CAB as announced by the union home minister Amit Shah,” secretary general of the NEFIP Robertjune Kharjahrin said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Kharjahrin, also the chairman of the CoMSO said that the Forum would also intensify agitations to mount pressure on the Centre to scrap the CAB, which seeks to wipe out the indigenous tribals of the region. 

“If the Centre fails to pay heed to our demand, we will file a complaint before the United Nation Organization for its intervention,” he said.

Kharjahrin said the NEFIP has also resolved to oppose the attempt of the BJP-led NDA government at the centre to make Hindi as a national language. “We have also decided to demand the state governments in the NE to push the Centre to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP),” he informed.