MDA to meet tomorrow over CAB issue

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaDecember 5, 2019

SHILLONG: The ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) will meet on Friday to discuss on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 among other issues.

The meeting to be chaired by the chief minister Conrad K Sangma will be attended by leaders of the coalition partners.

Confirming this here, Urban Affairs Minister Hamletson Dohling told reporters that the meeting will also discuss on the issue related to the CAB, 2019.

Earlier, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the contentious CAB. The Bill is now likely to be tabled in the Lok Sabha for clearance.

The Parliament is likely to take up the Citizenship Amendment Bill next week.

The Bill seeks to grant citizenship to all non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution in these neighbouring countries.

Asked, Dohling said that the stand of the state government is that the whole state of Meghalaya should be exempted from the proposed Bill. “We feel that the Centre should listen and respect our demand,” he said.

He was reacting to the recent assurance given by the union home minister Amit Shah that the Bill will not be applicable in the Sixth Schedule areas.

The state delegation led by the chief minister Conrad K Sangma had also submitted a resolution to oppose the CAB before the union home minister Amit Shah during the meeting held in New Delhi on Saturday, last week.