Northeast Desk, 5th April: Agatha K Sangma, the incumbent Lok Sabha MP and National People’s Party candidate for Tura, stood firm in her support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), emphasizing that Meghalaya’s exemption from its provisions was the key factor behind her backing of the bill in Parliament.
Facing criticism from opposition parties for her stance, Agatha reiterated that she would not have supported the Bill if it included Garo Hills, the region she represents. She clarified that since the CAA does not apply in Meghalaya, there is no cause for concern among its residents.
Agatha elaborated on the exemption, explaining that Meghalaya and other northeastern states were excluded from the CAA’s provisions due to the advocacy efforts of then-MP and now Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, along with other parliamentarians.
Conrad K Sangma had earlier reassured that the CAA would not significantly impact Meghalaya, as only a small portion of the state’s land was excluded from its purview.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, whose rules were notified on March 13, aims to grant Indian nationality to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
Meanwhile, the NPP distanced itself from a cash seizure incident in Arunachal Pradesh, with party chief Conrad K Sangma dismissing it as “baseless” and unrelated to the party.
NPP spokesperson HM Shangpliang asserted that the vehicle in question was not part of their convoy, refuting any attempts to link the incident with their national president as unfounded.
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