As the Rajya Sabha witnessed din on Friday by the Opposition over the unrest in Assam and other parts of the North-East following the passage of the Citizenship(Amendment)Bill(CAB), 2019 by Parliament earlier this week, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma demanded the Prime Minister should immediately convene an all party meeting (with) Chief Ministers on the worsening law and order situation in the North East.
Determined to draw attention to the situation arising after CAB, the TMC raised the issue during the Question Hour but Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not allow the party's MPs to do so. The agitated members led by their leader Derek O'Brien repeatedly interrupted the proceedings and they also trooped into the well of the house. Dola Sen(TMC)even tore a piece of paper while standing in the well.
Unable to pacify the TMC members who were supported by other Opposition parties, the Chair then adjourned the proceedings for half an hour.
Earlier, raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Sharma said an all party meeting was a must in view of the fallout in India's external relations particularly with Bangladesh.
"I will urge the Government and the Prime Minister in particular to immediately convene an all party meeting (with) Chief Ministers of all the States and to reassure that mere statements and blame game is not going to happen. This is also having a fallout in India's external relations particularly with the sensitive state of Bangladesh which cannot be allowed," Sharma said.
Naidu said a country's name cannot be taken, to which Sharma said it has to be as it is part of India's foreign policy. "You cannot export your domestic policies to a neigbour. There have been reactions in our neighbouring country and the Government therefore has a responsibility," Sharma said.
He said the situation in the North Eastern States particularly in Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and even Manipur was disturbing. These border states are "very sensitive" parts of the country and share borders with China, Bangladesh and Bhutan, he said.
"It is because of the insecurity and uncertainty that has been created following the Citizenship Amendment Bill and fears about the influx of a large number of people which will disturb the culture, language and the composition of society," the Congress leader said.
He said the new law is comparable with the Bengal Frontiers Act, which was enacted in 1873 by the British. "Then also disruption and violence followed during the partitions of Bengal and the partition of India which affected the then undivided state of Bengal and also Punjab in North and West," he said and added that this situation cannot be allowed to aggravate further.
