The North East Students’ Organisation (NESO), a platform of indigenous students’ groups, has set ‘infiltration’ from Bangladesh and lack of employment opportunities as key discussion points, at its sixth general conference in Tripura, on Wednesday. The Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF) is the host of the four-day conference taking place at Khumulwng, headquarters of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), 12 km east of here.
NESO Chairman Samuel B. Jyrwa and Advisor Samujjal Bhattacharjee both said that the issues like infiltration from across the border, the rights of the indigenous people and employment issues, had always been their focus. The education scenario across northeast India was also not in good shape and they would discuss that too, they added.
“Non-implementation of the AASU accord is the crux of many complexities in Assam. The identification of foreigners and the stoppage of infiltration from Bangladesh are necessary for the peace, development and progress of the region”, Mr. Bhattacharjee, also a long-time advisor in the AASU, told newsmen.
NESO chairman Samuel Jyrwa said Tripura had suffered the worst, owing to the menace of infiltration from Bangladesh. “The indigenous population here has been reduced to a minority from its majority status because of the influx of foreigners”, he stated.
On the current tension along the Assam–Meghalaya border, he appealed for a peaceful resolution of contradictions and said the governments of both the States must immediately work to restore peace. He termed the tension there not related to any ‘ethnic issue’.
The NESO has been demanding carrying out the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the entire northeastern region while vehemently opposing the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB). It also wants the enforcement of the Inner Line Permit (ILP), a British era regulation, in every state of the region to preserve rights of the indigenous people.
TSF, founded in 1968, is for the second time organising the NESO General Conference. It earlier hosted in 2006.
The current general conference is the sixth of the NESO and it will elect a new team of office-bearers.
