Following the resentment against the central government’s recent notification of rules for the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Meghalaya Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rikman Momin tried to fight the flames by reiterating that Meghalaya has largely been exempted from the purview of the act.
During a press conference here today, Momin said that the Centre respects the sentiments of the tribal people and has exempted the Sixth Scheduled areas from the CAA. However, the state Congress Party has pointed out that if a Bangladeshi, or citizen of another country applicable to the act, in a different part of the country acquires Indian citizenship through the CAA, there will be nothing preventing him/her from subsequently settling in Meghalaya.
However, Momin continued to assert that the BJP deliberated for four years after passing the legislation in order to arrive at rules that take into consideration all viewpoints.
“Now that Meghalaya stands exempted from the CAA, it is pointless for those opposing it to beat around the bush. As citizens of this great nation we should all work towards its progress and prosperity,” he urged.
Non-scheduled areas make up a tiny fraction of Meghalaya, so state BJP spokesperson Mariahom Kharkrang does not foresee any applications from there.
Nevertheless, the notification of the rules so soon before the general elections is a headache for the BJP in much of the North East, which saw big protests against the CAA in 2019.
