[caption id="attachment_231054" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Police trying to prevent a protest march by the representatives of nine political parties during the 24-hour general strike in Imphal on Thursday.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Imphal,Jan. 31 (EMN): Normal life was paralysed in several parts of Manipur on Thursday following a 24-hour general strike called against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
The strike was called by the Manipur People Against Citizenship Amendment Bill (MANPAC), a newly formed common platform consisting of about 72 civil society organisations operating both in the hills and the valley of the state.
National highways connecting the state with Assam and Nagaland and other major roads of the state wore a deserted look and route leading to airport in Imphal was blocked by the womenfolk of various localities on Thursday.
Due to non-availability of the cab services and other transport services, passengers coming form outside faced hardship.
Business establishments and market places remained closed for the day. Most of the government and private offices, besides educational institutions, shops and business establishments remained closed.
Also, various organisations carried out sit-in demonstrations in the state capital as well as in towns and districts against the proposed amendment of Citizenship Amendment Bill.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslim nationals from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India.
The Bill has triggered protests across the North Eastern region.
Meanwhile the representatives of nine political parties including state units of CPI, RSP, CPI(M),NCP, Forward Block, AAP, BSP, JD(S)and PRJA also staged a protest rally to support the strike on Thursday. There were also reports of staging torch rallies in various places in the evening.
CPI(M) to intensify movement against CAB — Das
The opposition CPI(M) in Tripura on Thursday announced to intensify its movement against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
“Our party has decided to intensify movement against the Citizenship Amendment bill because it is divisive and the Narendra Modi Government in the Centre is trying to divide people of the country on religious line,” CPI(M) state party secretary Gautam Das told reporters.
He said the CPI(M) has decided to organise rally, procession and mass sit-in nationwide on February 4 demanding scrapping of the bill.
“We would organise protests and rallies on February 4 as part of nationwide programme. Besides, we have decided to intensify movement in our state, because people of the state would face lot of problems if the bill is passed,” Das said.
He said peace prevailed in the north eastern region before the bill was proposed by the Central government, but the situation turned “volatile” in the region after the bill was introduced.
“People of the N-E region came on the streets to protest the bill, because they would be the most sufferer if the bill is passed in Rajya Sabha. The bill must be scrapped,” Das said.
On Wednesday, a newly formed political platform of six indigenous political parties of the state -’Committee for Movement against citizenship Amendment Bill’, organised a protest rally at Khumulwng, about 20 km from here against the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
