Shillong, Jan 12: Despite the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government’s opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 through a Cabinet decision last year, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) asked the National People’s Party (NPP)-led coalition government to also oppose Bill beyond the Secretariat.

The KSU made this call to the government to oppose the Bill after it was passed recently in the Lok Sabha.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 seeks to provide citizenship to people who come to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

The MDA government has opposed the Bill through a Cabinet decision on May 8 last year.

“The state government should also oppose this Bill outside the Secretariat. Just a Cabinet resolution is not enough keeping in mind that the Bill if it becomes a law, will open up the gate for illegal immigrants to enter the state,” KSU president, Lambokstarwell Margnar said after a meeting of the present and former leaders of the Union where they discussed about the proposed documentary film on the history and journey of the Union in the past 40 years.

“We required their views and opinions from our former leaders too on the documentary film which we target to complete by March 20,” Marngar said.

Marngar said under the banner of the North East Students’ Organisation, the KSU along with other social organizations from different states of the North Eastern Region will take further steps in opposing the Centre’s aggressive move to implement the Bill.

Recalling one of the campaigns by the Prime Miniser, Narendra Modi in Assam before he was elected as Prime Minister in 2014, the KSU president said that Modi apart from talking about bringing change and development had assured detection and deportation of illegal immigrants from the North East.

“Ironically before the end of his term, now he (Modi) is extending a warm welcome to such illegal immigrants. Now we can clearly understand the change and development that he (Modi) had talked about that time (in 2014),” he said.

On the growing demand to drop the BJP from the MDA government, he however said, “We have nothing to comment on that, and we leave it to the wisdom of this government to take a call on such matters.”

Earlier while speaking at the gathering, former KSU leader Sounder Cajee expressed concern over the mushrooming of NGOs in the state, and emphasized that issues like the Citizenship Amendment Bill should be taken up under one common platform.

The meeting was attended by former presidents of the Union which include Michael N. Syiem, Samuel B. Jyrwa, Daniel Khyriem and others.