Asserting anti-CAB stand : Interesting take from PRISM
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: April 05 2019 -

That the BJP is not a push over political party is a given.

This is best exemplified by the fact that after the Citizenship Amendment Bill was not tabled on the floor of the Rajya Sabha to make it into an Act, BJP president Amit Shah went on record while addressing a public meeting at Assam that if the BJP is voted back to power, it will bring back the said Bill for its passage in Parliament.

Amit Shah qualified this assertion by stating that the said Bill will not affect the North East region while addressing the media at Classic Grande, Imphal on March 30.

With the BJP firm on its commitment to pass the Bill, if it comes back to power, Mizoram based People’s Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM) shot back with the stand that if CAB is passed, then it will try to introduce the Right to Secession Bill in Parliament.

An influential watchdog on corruption in Mizoram, PRISM recently morphed into a political party and is trying to sketch an identity of its own by standing up for the interest of Mizoram and the people of that State.

The Right to Secede Bill also falls in line with the festoons and placards, displayed during the intense anti-CAB movement in the North East, which read as ‘Bye Bye India, Hello China’ or something along this line.

With the BJP being a junior partner in the MNF led Government at Mizoram, no sedition charges were filed when these banners went viral on the social media and in toeing the ‘Right to Secede Bill’ line, PRISM is underlining its strong stand against CAB, which many have interpreted as being a sold out at the expense of the indigenous people of the North East.

Significant also to note that the Right to Secede Bill has been made the poll plank of PRISM and again very significant to note too that Amit Shah made the ‘CAB will come back’ stand, while addressing an election rally at Assam.

More than enough indication that both sides hope to draw the support of the people via the contentious CAB.

The interesting question is whether CAB will feature as one of the main poll planks in the other North Eastern States.

Already the NPP has made its stand clear with its president Conrad Sangma laying it down in clear cut terms where the party stands.

The Congress has also made its stand known to all. It however remains to be seen how the voters will respond to the stand of the different political parties when the time to vote comes.

With PRISM making CAB central to its poll campaign it will be interesting to see how the other political parties latch on to the issue at this stage of electioneering.

Will the BJP have an ace up its sleeves to negate the allegations and charges that may come along with CAB ?

This is an interesting question and making it all that more interesting is the fact that NPP has not shied away from taking pot shots at the BJP in its campaigning in the Outer Parliamentary Constituency via CAB and Greater Nagaland.

And remember the NPP is very much a part of the BJP led Government at Imphal.