NESO To Pitch For NRC For Entire Northeast

Guwahati, Nov 26 : In its fifth general conference, the North East Students' Organisation (NESO) will, for the first time, pitch for a National Register of Citizens for the entire northeast in view of the unchecked flow of illegal migrants to the region.

The three-day general conference, with the theme 'Our Resources-Our Future', is scheduled to be held from November 27 to 30 at Kohima, Nagaland. It will also focus on a constitutional status for the region, besides other important issues ranging from education to illegal foreigners.

This will be for the first time that various student bodies of the region under Neso pitch for an NRC for the entire region. At present, only Assam and Manipur have NRCs with a prescribed base date.

"The region has had been given a raw deal by the Centre, which has different attitudes towards the western part of the country which shares its border with Pakistan and towards the northeast. The border there has been sealed and even in Jammu and Kashmir, fencing has been done in the most difficult terrain. The conference will be aimed at a comprehensive policy for the whole of northeast," said Samujjal Bhattacharjya, chairman Neso.

The conference will explore how to intensify discussions on the burning issues faced by the region. Issues like repealing of the Afspa, a special economic zone for the region, stapled visa issued by China for Arunachal residents, India-Bangladesh land swap, mega dams, declaration of floods and erosion as a national problem, inner line permit for states where there is none, land rights for the indigenous people, implementation of the Assam and Manipur accords and others will be at the forefront of discussion.

Bhattacharjya, raising his rhetoric against the state government, said, "While other state governments want foreigners out of their states, the Assam government wants to protect them. It was decided long ago that we won't take the load of foreigners who have come after 1971 and indigenous people needs to be saved. Foreigners are now entering other states as well, and a state-wide, comprehensive policy is what we need to curb this problem."