CAA Stir: AKM joins ASSU’s mass rally in Jorhat

Morung Express News
Mokokchung | December 18

A 28-member delegation of the Ao Students’ Conference (Ao Kaketshir Mungdang, or AKM), the apex Ao Naga Students’ organisation, led by its President Imkongwati participated at a peaceful mass protest rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 in Jorhat, Assam on December 18.

The AKM President also delivered a solidarity speech at the rally organised by the Jorhat unit of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU).

The AKM participated in the rally in solidarity with the people of Assam and to highlight the fact that CAA is detrimental not only for the future of the people of Assam, but the whole of North East India, Imkongwati told The Morung Express.

It must be mentioned here that the AKM has been consistently asserting its strong opposition to the CAA and had earlier demanded the resignation of two Members of Parliament from Nagaland in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for voting in favour of the Act.

‘They no longer have the moral right to represent the people of Nagaland in the parliament after they voted in favor of the Citizenship Amendment Bill recently,’ AKM said during the observance of 6-hour bandh in Naga-inhabited areas organised by Naga Students’ Federation on December 14.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on December 18 decided to examine the constitutional validity of the CAA, but refused to stay its operation.

The top court issued notice to the Centre on a batch of pleas challenging the Act, IANS news agency reported.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant fixed 59 petitions, including those filed by the Indian Union Muslim League and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, for hearing on January 22, next year, it said.

Parliament recently cleared the Act, which grants citizenship rights to religious minorities such as Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Buddhists, who have come to India on or before December 31, 2014.