The Khasi Students’ Union has been organising street meetings since Tuesday to shed light on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.

Union general secretary Donald V. Thabah said the purpose of these meetings was to explain to the people the effects of the bill once it becomes a law.

On Tuesday, it held street meetings at Laitjem village and at Madanrting here while on Wednesday, the meetings were held at Malki and Laban. These meetings will continue till December 12.

The meetings are being addressed by North East Students’ Organisation (Neso) chairman Samuel B. Jyrwa, KSU president Lambokstarwell Marngar, Thabah and others.

The union opined that massive influx was witnessed in Meghalaya after 1971.

“The once pristine hills of the state were endowed with unmatchable friendliness, hospitality, and blissfulness. All these changed after 1971. The year 1971 was a historic moment for the entire Indian sub-continent owing to the creation of the sovereign state of Bangladesh. However, 1971 was a nightmare for the people of the Northeast and Meghalaya,” it said.

The Centre, had without taking into account the sentiments and aspirations of the indigenous populace, granted asylum and sanctuary to many Bangladeshis in Khasi and Jaintia hills, it said. The union demanded that the Centre implement the inner-line permit and not impose the bill on the indigenous people.

In Mizoram, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl pledged to intensify its opposition to the bill. MZP general secretary Lalnunmawia Pautu said, “We appeal to all political parties not to use the bill as political vendetta and take advantage of it,” he said, adding that the people of the Northeast unitedly opposed it.

He said Neso had called a meeting of its members on Friday in Guwahati in connection with the bill. MZP is one of the constituents of Neso.

While welcoming Union home minister Amit Shah’s assurance to raise two battalions of CAPF comprising Mizos and strengthening of the inner-line permit by including a provision in the Constitution, the MZP said it could not accept them as “point of lobbying” for passage of the bill.

Former MP and president of Tripura Rajaer Upajati Ganamukti Parishad, Jitendra Choudhury, said: “Everything will be affected by the bill. Today should be considered as a Black Day of Indian democracy, particularly for the Northeast.”

Tripura PCC vice-president Tapas Dey said, “We don’t have enough land. If the bill is passed where will we provide land for the migrants? The CAB is being implemented to divert the attention of the people from the basic problems.”

Twipra Students Federation joint secretary Upendra Debbarma said if the bill was passed, then the law-and-order situation “would probably deteriorate”.

State BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said, “There will be no effect of CAB after it is passed, since it was amended after consultation with stakeholders and indigenous leaders.”

Nagaland Opposition leader T.R. Zeliang urged Shah that the state should be exempted in line with his declaration in Aizawl on October 5 that a special clause would be incorporated in the bill to protect the interests of northeastern states, a release said on Wednesday.

Additional reporting by Henry L. Khojol in Aizawl, Tanmoy Chakraborty in Agartala and Bhadra Gogoi in Dimapur.