Students, women vendors stage protest, mass sit-in demonstration against CAB

18-hour shutdown across Manipur

[caption id="attachment_283380" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Women vendors seen holding placards during the sit-in demonstration to reiterate its opposition to the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill in Imphal on Monday.[/caption] Our Correspondent Imphal, Nov. 18 (EMN): Women vendors of the Ima Keithel (Mother’s market) in Imphal on Monday staged a mass sit-in demonstration to reiterate its opposition to the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill which is to be tabled in the Winter Session of the Parliament. A large number of women vendors were seen holding play cards which read ‘No CAB in Northeast’, 'Withdraw CAB unconditionally’. The protest was initiated  a day after the Manipur People Against Citizenship Amendment Bill (MANPAC), a conglomerate of several civil society organisations in the state announced to launch various forms of public movements under the initiative of the North East Forum of Indigenous People (NEFIP). “As we’ve protested earlier, we are again voicing today to oppose the proposed plan to implement CAB,” said a leading women vendor. The main market areas in Imphal remain closed during the day’s sit-in demonstration. Also in response to the region-wide protest called by the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), students from various schools and colleges in Manipur organised a protest march after staging a sit- in at Keishampat Leimajam Leikai community hall. Meanwhile, With the report of listing CAB in the list of the Winter Parliament Session, the MANPAC announced to call 18-hour shutdown in Manipur, as part of renewing its public movement against the Bill which was once passed in Lok Sabha in January this year. The shutdown will be in force from Monday midnight to 6 pm of Tuesday, November 19. In view of the bandh called by the MANPAC, the state chief secretary Dr. J Suresh Babu issued an order directing all the government offices including educational institutions to remain open and function normally. He also directed all the  employees to attend their respective offices compulsorily.

Will oppose if Citizenship Bill goes against people, says Meghalaya CM 

Shillong, Nov 18 (IANS): Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday said that neither his government nor his party, the National People's Party (NPP), will support the Citizenship Amendment Bill if the content of the proposed amendment goes against the interest of the people of the state and the northeast region. The BJP-led NDA government has listed the amendment of the Citizenship Act, 1955, during the winter session of Parliament which commenced on Monday. "Our stand is very clear on the issue. If there is anything that is against the people of the state and the region as a whole, we will always stand against it. The interest of our people is our priority," Sangma told IANS. "The word CAB (Citizenship Amendment Bill) is not something which anybody is against. It has been there in the past. But it is the content inside it which is our concern. We would like to know whether the concern of the state and its people are being addressed," he said. The Chief Minister said the Central government is very keen in ensuring that it reaches out to various stakeholders and understands their concerns on this issue. "I have already met the Home Minister (Amit Shah) twice on this issue and expressed my concerns over it. The Home Minister and other government officials will also discuss the issue with different groups and organisations," he said. Sangma said that he had also requested Shah to come to Shillong and visit other northeastern states and meet different political parties and other stakeholders. The BJP-led NDA government had introduced the Bill in its previous tenure but could not push it through due to vehement protests by BJP allies and opposition parties. The Bill lapsed following the dissolution of the previous Lok Sabha. The Bill seeks to remove the hurdles in the way of eligible migrants from six minority groups from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan from getting Indian citizenship.