North Shillong MLA Adelbert Nongrum said that he will be the first person to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if its members can deliver the Inner Line Permit (ILP) to Meghalaya and resolve the drawn out boundary dispute with Assam.
“If the BJP, whose members are now camping in Delhi, can deliver ILP and resolve the boundary issue, then I will be the first to join the BJP,” Nongrum told Highland Post today.
The demand for ILP is just, he said, as it is meant to protect and ensure the safety of the indigenous population and all other genuine citizens of the state and is not a game to be played for political mileage.
The legislator also called on all pressure groups in Meghalaya to demand ILP with one united voice.
With regards to the border dispute, he suggested that the State government bring about major development of the border areas so that the people there feel secure and taken care of by Meghalaya and do not feel tempted to rely on Assam for development.
“It seems that right from the time we attained statehood, our people were busy celebrating but were not serious enough to resolve the issues. While Meghalaya has always respected the status quo, the Assam government has kept encroaching into Meghalaya and this is because there is no political will or seriousness from our side,” he said.
He also said that it is imperative that the joint Assam-Meghalaya cadre be split up, so that indigenous people of the State get better opportunities to attain higher positions in central government jobs.
In addition he called for the age limit in government jobs to be increased, as other states have done, so that older unemployed people can be given jobs.
