Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday did not give any assurance to the pressure groups of the State on their demands to implement Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya.
Several leaders of the pressure groups who later emerged from their meeting with the Union Home Minister expressed their disappointment, who according to them did not utter a word on the issue of ILP.
“Today the Union Home Minister simply listened to what we said, our aspiration as leaders of pressure groups and of the people of the State as a whole. But there was no assurances or commitment on the issue of ILP,” Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) president Lambokstarwell Marngar said.
Marngar termed the Union Home Minister’s silence on the issue of ILP as “insulting” to the people of the State.
The KSU president said that it’s been more than a year since the Meghalaya Assembly had passed the Resolution to urge the centre to pass implement ILP in the State, but the people of the State are yet to get an answer on what is the stand of the government of India on the matter.
“We wanted to only know what the stand of the Centre on the ILP is, but that too it could not answer,” Marngar said.
He said that in the next few days the pressure groups will sit to chalk out their future course of action.
“We understand that we are in the midst of a pandemic. But there’s another virus afflicting our indigenous society. We will have to find a cure ourselves from now on,” Marngar said.
Federation of Khasi Jaiñtia and Garo People (FKJGP), president Wellbirth Rani said that this was the third time they are meeting the Union Home Minister on the same issue.
“In this third meeting we had expected that he will assure us something. But till today we are not satisfied and happy with the outcome of today’s meeting,” Rani added.
The pressure groups also took up the long pending border dispute with Assam and also the Inclusion of Khasi language in the Eight Schedule.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Minister and Mylliem legislator, Hamletson Dohling took up the issue of ILP when Shah met the State Cabinet Minister.
According to Dohling, he told the Union Home Minister, that none of the previous governments gave the people of the State an opportunity to take up the issue at the national level.
“This is the only government that give us a chance to raise the issue of ILP with the government of India,” he said.
According to the People’s Democratic Front MLA, hoped their demands will respond in a positive manner.
