Agatha K Sangma, the incumbent Lok Sabha MP and candidate from the National People’s Party (NPP), reiterated her backing for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019. Sangma clarified her position, emphasizing that she supported the legislation due to its exemption of Meghalaya.
Exemption Clarification
Sangma defended her stance, asserting that she would not have supported the bill if it had included Garo Hills. She assured residents that since the CAA does not extend to Meghalaya, there is no cause for concern among its populace.
Providing historical context, Sangma recalled the exemption granted to Meghalaya and other northeastern states during the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Bill. This exemption resulted from the advocacy efforts of several parliamentarians.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, whose rules were officially notified on March 13, 2024, facilitates the granting of Indian nationality to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India before December 31, 2014.