“Updating National Registration of Citizens (NRC) after legislation of CA Bill is meaningless as all the illegal immigrants will become citizens,” says Ningthouja Lancha convenor of North East Forum for Indigenous People (NEFIP).

 “Manipur People’s Against Citizenship Amendment Bill(MANPAC) with support of the people will launch various forms of intense agitations if the Bill is reintroduced in the Parliament, besides, conducting awareness about the discriminatory policies of India at various levels”,  MANPAC (a conglomerate of various civil society organisations) convenor, Yumnamcha Dilipkumar

Expressing apprehension over the probable reintroduction of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill tomorrow during the monsoon session of 17th Lok Sabha, Manipur People against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (MANPAC) today reaffirmed stand against the bill and warned that the indigenous people of Northeast will determine their own future collectively if the contentious bill is legislated.

Speaking to media during a press meet held today evening at MANPAC office at Sega Road Konjeng Hazari Leikai, Imphal, MANPAC convenor, Yumnamcha Dilipkumar while informing that a TV news channel ‘News X’ broadcasted the news of CA Bill among the House agenda tomorrow also said that the stand of MANPAC, which spearheaded the anti-CAB movement in the state earlier, is still clear and it will never allow the contentious bill to be passed without the consent of the people, he asserted.

Being a constituent body of North East Forum for Indigenous People (NEFIP), MANPAC endorses the resolution of the NEFIP meeting held on April 30 at Shillong and will collectively fight with other NE states to determine own future if CA Bill is legislated, asserted the MANPAC convenor.

Dilipkumar said, MANPAC never trusted what the Bharatiya Janata Party promised in its manifesto that the Bill will not affect the unique linguistic, cultural and social values of the NE people. The CA Bill is disastrous for the Northeast particularly Manipur as there is the possibility of the indigenous communities being wiped out, he added.

Taking part in the press meet, NEFIP convenor and MANPAC co-convenor, Ningthouja Lancha also said that NEFIP along with its constituent organisations reaffirmed the resolution to determine own future collectively if the controversial bill is legislated.

Mainland India has been waging a ‘bio-political’ war with its racist policies against the indigenes of North East and the NE as a whole is also prepared to collectively carry out a mass resistance movement against such racist policies said the co-convener.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019 was earlier passed in January by House of the People but was lapsed with the non-tabulation of the same in the Rajya Sabha in the last session of the previous NDA government. Indigenous people of Northeast protested against the Bill and the BJP in its manifesto promised to protect the identity of the indigenous people. However, it is not ascertained whether amendments have been made to the Bill which is likely to be tabled tomorrow.