SHILLONG: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has called upon chief minister Mukul Sangma for a debate on inner-line permit, also threatening a campaign against him if an official resolution to implement ILP and other demands of the organisation was not passed during the three-day winter Assembly session.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, general secretary, HYC, Robert Kharjahrin said till date the state government has not framed laws to tackle influx and that the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act and Rules was not acceptable, asserting it would not protect the identity of indigenous people.
“Do we want Meghalaya to become like Tripura? Do we want to be outnumbered? We will continue to demand ILP if the state government does not come up with a legislation to address the issue of influx,” he said.
Counteracting the CM’s statement that ILP will hinder tourist inflow, Kharjahrin cited the example of Mawlai which has no non-tribal population but experiences a sizable inflow of tourists to the Don Bosco Museum there.
“If the issue of ILP has been discussed and resolved, then with whom did you (CM) resolve?,” he said. Kharjahrin said, “You are wrong chief minister. We demand ILP to protect the identity of the indigenous tribe.” He stated that the organisation has submitted a memorandum to the chief minister on February 23 and called him for a discussion on the 14-point charter of demands. “Mukul Sangma, you are the head servant of the state so don’t act like a head boss of the state. We convey our greetings to him that he will lose in both constituencies in the coming elections,” Kharjahrin said.
He termed the statement made by Sangma that ILP sows the seed of communalism, as immature.
Clean Congress campaign
The HYC also asserted that they would start a “Clean Congress” campaign as the party was “not serious” in bringing the laws for the interests and rights of indigenous people. Kharjahrin said it was not only about “Clean Congress” campaign but about cleansing other parties as well if they don’t include the issue of ILP in the manifesto.