Up in arms against the illegal influx, pressure groups in Meghalaya are set to launch a series of agitation events from November 27, to mount pressure on the Centre for the speedy implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya.
Robertjune Kharjahrin, Chairman of the the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO) confirmed that a unanimous decision was taken in the meeting of the Confederation held at the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) campus. He said that they would “stage a black flag protest on November 27 and sit-in-protests in all district headquarters of the state on December 4”.
“We demand the Centre to immediately implement the ILP in the whole of Meghalaya and for the state government to re-introduce the Meghalaya Residents, Safety and Security (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which was recently returned by the Governor,” Kharjahrin said.
Kharjahrin, also president of the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), added that the Central government has to respect the resolution passed by the State Legislative Assembly to fulfill the long pending aspiration of the people to have a strong and effective law like the ILP.
“The delay to implement the ILP is a clear indication that there is total lack of political will on the part of the Centre and not that it needs time to examine the proposal,” he opined.
According to him, if the “indigenous tribes” in the other states of the Northeast region have the right to protect their identities through the ILP, then why tribals in Meghalaya should not be given the same right.
Meanwhile, the CoMSO has also pressurized the state government and all 60 legislators to aggressively pursue with the Centre for immediate implementation of the ILP.
“We want to see the MLAs continue to demand for ILP not only inside but outside the House as well,” Kharjahrin said.
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