Shillong, Jan 8: Condemning the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha, the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) on Tuesday warned of more agitation across the northeastern states on “another political injustice meted out by the Indian government on the indigenous people of the region.”

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 that seeks to remove hurdles in eligible migrants from six minority groups from Bangladesh, Pakistan  and Afghanistan getting Indian citizenship despite opposition by various political parties including Congress and Trinamool Congress.

“The passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha is another political injustice meted out by the  political injustice meted out by the Indian government on the indigenous people of the northeastern states,” NESO Chairman, Samuel Jyrwa said.

“This (passage of the Bill) is a clear move of the government and  their intention is reduce the indigenous people of the northeast to a minority in our own land,” he said.

Warning of severe agitation across the northeastern states, Jyrwa said, the apex student’s body of the indigenous student’s groups across the seven northeastern states will soon meet and decide on the next future course of action against the government.

“NESO will not be quiet but we will keep on following up on this very vital issue and will take appropriate   decisions with full faith that we will continue to have your unstinted support so as to protect our distinct identity and our future generations,” he said.

“In spite of the wide protest in North East (on Tuesday), the Indian government passed this Bill in the Lok Sabha which only goes to show that they have no regard for the Indigenous peoples of the North East but rather this move is intentionally done to reduce the indigenous peoples of the northeast to a minority in our own land,” he said.

The NESO condemned the unwarranted firing on unarmed tribal protestors by the Tripura police.

It is highly condemnable and it is evident from this incident that the indigenous communities of Tripura are not only marginalized but also oppressed and suppressed by the Tripura government headed by non-indigenous Tripuris,” Jyrwa said.NESO condemns passage Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, warns of more agitations