Meghalaya Assembly Passes Resolution to Keep Out of CAA’s Purview

The resolution was moved by CM Conrad K Sangma during the second day of the Assembly’s Budget session in Shillong.

Conrad Sangma. 

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@SangmaConrad)

The Meghalaya Assembly on Monday, 16 March, passed a resolution urging the Centre to exempt the entire state, including the areas not covered under the Sixth Schedule, from the purview of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 2019.

The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma during the second day of the Assembly's budget session in Shillong.

The chief minister informed the House that 23 municipal wards out of 27 are under the Sixth Schedule areas, while the remaining four fall outside it.

The areas under the Sixth Schedule do no fall in the ambit of CAA.

"To ensure that the entire state is exempted, the state government has taken additional measures to protect the indigenous people of the state by passing a resolution to urge the Government of India to exempt the entire state, including the two sq km not covered under Sixth Schedule, from the purview of the CAA," he said.

Opposition Dissatisfied With Govt Resolution

He further informed that since the Act has come into force, nobody has applied for citizenship from the state government.

Dissatisfied with the content of the government resolution, the opposition, Congress demanded that the MDA government ask the Centre to repeal the Act. The ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) includes the BJP.

"...this House must take a resolution, like we did on the Inner Line Permit (issue), unanimously saying we reject and disapprove the whole content of the CAA and urge the Centre to repeal CAA," Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma said.

Meanwhile, Conrad Sangma said that constitutionally, the state government is not in a position to reject the CAA, but can only urge the Centre to exempt the entire state.

In his reply, the chief minister said that repealing of the CAA is unlikely as Parliament has already passed it.

A government resolution to urge the Centre to exempt the entire state is the most practical approach, he added.

"It would give 100 percent exemption to us. I urge this house to pass this resolution and send a strong message to the Centre that we want the entire state to be exempted from the purview of the CAA," Conrad said.

Later, the government resolution was passed after it was put to vote.