The Nagaland Students’ Federation (NSF) on Thursday observed the North East Black Day at Naga Solidarity Park, joining the region-wide protest led by the North East Students’ Union (NESO) against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Terming the Act “unjust, discriminatory, and a direct threat to the indigenous peoples of the Northeast,” student leaders reaffirmed their collective defiance to its implementation.
In his keynote address, Secretary General of NESO, Mutsikhoyo Yhobu today the entire Northeast people is observing this Black Day against the imposition of the Citizenship Amendment Act.
He disclosed that on 11th December 2019, the Government of India has passed this Citizenship Amendment Act and from the beginning, the NESO voiced out that this Citizenship Amendment Act should not be imposed to the North East regions.
However, he said without listening to the voice of the students’ community and the indigenous people of Northeast, the Rajya Sabha passed the Citizenship Amendment Act on this very day.
Stating that NESO declared 11th December as the “Black Day” in the entire Northeast, Yhobu said the states which are covered under Inner Line Permit (ILP) are exempted, however, in other states which are not covered with ILP, the CAA was implemented.
“Be it the state under ILP, be it the other—the states which are not under ILP—the entire of the North East people are indigenous people. For that reason, we demanded to the Government of India that this Citizenship Amendment Act should not be implemented in the North East regions in order to protect the indigenous peoples,” he stressed.
The NESO Secretary General lamented that their voice was not heart by the Government of India and therefore, with the initiatives of the NSF and All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union, under the aegis of NESO, this Black Day is being observed to pass the message to the Government of India that “we don’t want this Citizenship Amendment Act.”
In his short speech, NSF president, Mteisuding Heraang said that today the Federation hoisted the black flag to show the resentment to the Central Government, the Indian Union, that “we are against and we will not accept the CAA which is going to scrap the right, the identity of the indigenous people.”
“We are few in numbers today, but we are might. We are here standing for the right of the indigenous people,” he stressed.
The NSF president affirmed that the Federation would continue to protest the CAA till it is being scrapped from its Bill. Thanking the NESO for observing the Black Day and AAPSU for coming to Nagaland, Mteisuding said that CAA is not just a policy, but a decisive powering off, which would snatched away the rights, and identity of the people of the Northeast.
Highlighting about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), vice president protocol, AAPSU, Nabam Gandhi said before implementing or amending any kind of Act, it should be studied what socio-cultural and economic impact it would have to the people of the people. He said the CAA is going to impact the Northeast people socially and economically.
Dwelling on the impact of this Act, Gandhi said while making this Act, the Central Government gave the Northeast a “chocolate”. He also mentioned that some Northeastern states are under ILP, but the Central Government can lift it anytime, while stressing that the customs and traditions of different Northeastern states should be preserved. “…when an outsider comes, our culture, tradition, our custom, our natural resources get destroyed,” he said.
Raising concern over the Act, he said they would not know about the people who come to the Northeast, whether they are from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh as “we are not familiar with those people”. He further said whether they are Hindu or of any religion, they have not connection with India, Arunachal, Nagaland or Northeast.
He also underlined that under the CAA the period of stay in India to get citizenship has been reduced from 11 years to 5-6 years, which is a matter of concern.
The AAPSU vice president made a strong call not to accept the CAA, saying “We are for one NESO, one North East.”
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Stating that they would keep opposing this Act, he said, “…staying under NESO, we will think for the North East. When North East moves forward, then India moves forward. If North East stays behind, India stays behind. Therefore, this Act shouldn’t be such that it affects the whole of India and affects the whole of North East.”
Former NSF president and former Secretary General NESO, NSN Lotha recalled that NESO had already overcome one Act of the Parliament, that is the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, which was passed in 1983 much against the protest and objection of NESO. He disclosed that that matter was taken to Supreme Court and after 22 years, the Supreme Court in 2005 struck down this very Act.
He also explained why they protested the IMDT Act
Lotha, who is now the Chairman of the Inner Line Regulation Commission of NSF, disclosed that this time also NESO has already filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the CAA and expressed hope that they would come out victorious.
He, however, underlined the benefits of this Act in the Northeast also, and disclosed that for the first time states like Manipur got covered up by the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation. He said three other states—Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh—also had their benefits.
“This Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation was never mentioned in the Constitution of India. Anytime the cabinet can strike it down. But because of this Citizenship Amendment Bill, for the first time, now it’s mentioned in the Constitution of India in Article 6, clause B,” he further disclosed.
The programme concluded with the burning of the copies of Citizenship Amendment Act amidst waving of black flags.
