SHILLONG: Several organisations in the state have renewed the demand for Inner Line Permit (ILP) system after the Centre announced it for Manipur during the debate on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
They also called upon the state government to take active role in demanding it.
The assurance was given by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who introduced the bill.
The CAB, which has faced flak in the North East, will not be applicable in areas under the Sixth Schedule or the ILP regime.
It may be recalled that 2012 saw the demand for ILP being raised in the state leading to violence in 2013-14.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) president, Lambokstarwell Marngar, questioned why the Centre left out other states, which do not have ILP, and said the state government should have approached the Centre with the demand.
He said, “If the Centre includes Manipur in the ILP system, why does it not also include Meghalaya and other states that do not have ILP yet? I hope that the state government will knock on the doors of Centre to immediately implement ILP in the state.”
Marngar said that recently in their memorandum to the Union Home Minister, the union also demanded ILP in the state.
“We will continue to demand ILP not only from the state government but from the Centre also. Previously, the state government said that it all depends on the Centre”, he said.
The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) also demanded ILP in the state.
In a statement issued here, chairman of CoMSO, Robert June Kharjahrin, said Meghalaya has been demanding ILP for a very long time and some MLAs in 1973 had also tabled a resolution in this regard.
The High Level Committee headed by former Deputy Chief Minister Bindo Lanong in 2012 also suggested implementing ILP in the entire state.
“ILP is an aspiration of the indigenous people of the state and it is our right to have ILP in our state. The Centre should understand that if ILP is implemented in Manipur, then it should do the same in Meghalaya”, Kharjahrin said adding that the Manipuris have every right to protect themselves from being overwhelmed by illegal migrants and so does Meghalaya.
Kharjahrin said that the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution has no provisions to protect against influx and maintained that it is only ILP that will protect the people from outsiders.
He went on to add that if the Centre has doubts about implementation of ILP in states that are already under the Sixth Schedule, he pointed that even Mizoram has both.
On the other hand, he said that the Governor, Tathagata Roy, should give his assent to the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Amendment ordinance.
CoMSO has also urged the state government to not allow the governor to work as per his whims and fancies and to reject the government’s plea or decision.
In a press communiqué issued here, the FKJGP also demanded that ILP should be implemented in Meghalaya and then in the North East.
It said that the implementation of ILP in Manipur is only to divide the people of the North East and sought a special session of the assembly to demand it for the state as well.
