SHILLONG: Former KSU vice president Frederick Kharmawphlang who joined the HNLC, is skeptical about the BJP-led NDA Government giving nod to implement ILP in the state even as he wanted a united stand from the pressure groups on the issue.
In his first public statement to the media after joining HNLC issued on Monday, he asked all the 13 pressure groups to fight for the cause of implementing ILP in the state amid reports that there is disunity in the KSU on the matter.
Kharmawphlang expressed doubt as to how far will the BJP go for the implementation of ILP in the state of Meghalaya and Manipur. He said there is a move on the part of the BJP-led NDA government to do away with Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Fearing the move, Kharmawphlang said, “It is beyond doubt that the BJP government is working hard to do away article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir as to enable Indians to purchase lands, and also give them the access to get married to locals and also to operate their businesses without any interference or hindrances,” He also added that it is ironic at the same time to see that the BJP leadership is hell bent to implement Article 370 in Goa so as to restrict foreigners from procuring properties in and around the union territory.
With the reports of disunity in KSU surfacing in the media, he expressed concern over the future of local indigenous people if the pressure groups become puppets in the hands of the state government.
“The state government is itself a puppet government, if the pressure groups also become puppets into the hands of the state government, then where will the future of our Jaidbynriew lead to?, Kharmawphlang asked.
While pointing out that as a former leader of the KSU, he feels great displeasure on his part to hear about disunity among the KSU leadership, Kharmawphlang said that it is also shocking to observe that out of the 13 pressure groups involved in the ILP issue only the KSU leadership is facing a crisis over the current issue.
Kharmawphlang cautioned the members of the KSU that at this juncture if they face crisis over the leadership, “then how do we expect to unite with all the other organisations who are fighting under the same umbrella for the implementation of ILP in the state.
The movement for implementation of ILP in itself a big challenge for the people of the Hynniewtrep since the Centre is ruled by BJP and State is ruled by the Congress “, the former KSU leader said.
He appealed to the KSU as well as members of other pressure groups to come to a common understanding and help create positive awareness into the minds of the public.
Movreover, he said that the term modified ILP is nothing but a conspiracy theory to create disunity, misunderstanding, and groupism among the leaders of pressure groups.
“I suspect a foul play over this pertaining issue and it is also clear that the agents of the State Government have sown seeds of disunity among the KSU members and this is a sheer conspiracy in the form of modified ILP,” Kharmawphlang said.
He clarified that the Eastern Bengal Frontier Act 1873 ( EBFA) is uniform a law and hence the question does not arise for its modification.
“A law can only be amended as we have seen in case of Nagaland and Mizoram. These laws were amended to suit the needs of the present times in accordance with the culture, customs and tradition,” the former KSU vice president said, adding that the EBFA was meant to regulate infiltration of outsiders as in those days there were no schools so as to enable students from outside to come, there were no requirements of employees from outside as there were no offices within, and the trade and commerce were less and no workers or labourers from outside were engaged here.
“If the EBFA is not amended, then it will prove to be a toothless act, as this act was initially meant to prevent the inflow of outsiders,” he observed.
Kharmawphlang also clarified that the people and his family should not misunderstand his motives of joining hands with the HNLC as some vested interests had spread the wrong notion that he had taken this step under sheer excitement even as he stated that there were allegations made that his decision was also due to the indifferences of leaders of the KSU.
“I had earlier clarified that I did not want to succumb to the tactics nor live life of a victim into the hands of the Hindustan government. I prefer to stand up to defend the rights of our people as per the principles and ideology of the HNLC,” he said.