Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has emphasised that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) would not impact the state due to the exemption granted to Sixth Schedule areas.
As the act was notified, there were protests by the North East Students Organisation (NESO) and Khasi Students Union who burned the copies of the CAA.
In neighbouring Assam, there were protests by student groups and Opposition parties against the act which was notified by the Centre recently.
Sangma clarified that the CAA’s negligible impact on Meghalaya stems from the comprehensive exemption of Sixth Schedule areas, encompassing almost the entire state.
He emphasised that only a small fraction falls outside this exemption, making up less than 0.001 per cent of Meghalaya’s territory.
Addressing queries about potential further negotiations with the Central government to secure complete exemption for Meghalaya, Sangma explained yesterday that the negligible impact of the CAA on the state’s vast majority renders such pursuits unnecessary.
The CAA, enacted to offer citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from neighboring countries, excludes most tribal areas in northeastern states, including those safeguarded under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.