Meghalaya: VPP renews resistance against CAA

SHILLONG: The Voice of the Peoples’ Party (VPP), representing the opposition in Meghalaya, reiterated its staunch opposition to the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in areas of the state not covered by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

The Sixth Schedule, encompassing provisions for the administration of tribal areas in four Northeast states, including Meghalaya, grants autonomy to certain tribal areas.

VPP chief Ardent Basaiawmoit emphasized the party's resistance to any imposition of the CAA in regions of Meghalaya that falls outside the purview of the Sixth Schedule, asserting that such measures would contradict the sentiments of the local populace.

To voice their dissent, numerous citizen groups and civil society organizations were scheduled to convene meetings in Shillong, Meghalaya on Tuesday (March 12), aiming to strategize their protest against the CAA.

Enacted by Parliament in December 2019, the CAA extends Indian citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014.

The rules governing its implementation are set to be notified imminently.

The Northeast region, including Assam and several other states, witnessed widespread protests following the introduction of the CAA by the BJP-led central government.

Concerns among the region's inhabitants regarding the potential threat to their identity and livelihood prompted vehement opposition to the legislation.

Addressing Meghalaya's apprehensions regarding the CAA, chief minister Conrad Sangma, who also leads the National People’s Party (NPP), assured that the majority of the state's areas covered under the Sixth Schedule are exempt from the citizenship law.

However, he expressed concern about the possible repercussions if the CAA were to be enforced, emphasizing the necessity for an Inner Line Permit (ILP) to regulate the influx of outsiders.

The ILP functions as an official travel document issued by the Government of India to permit limited inward travel of Indian citizens into protected areas.

In December 2019, the Meghalaya government passed a resolution to extend the ILP to Meghalaya, further solidifying efforts to safeguard the interests and identity of its residents.