SHILLONG, Dec 9: Governor Satya Pal Malik is scheduled to meet Union Home Minister, Amit Shah in Delhi shortly to “discuss” one-on-one the raging demands for Inner Line Permit (ILP) system and the status of Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Amendment Bill, 2020.
This was informed to waiting reporters by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma after meeting the Governor and discussing both the issues at the Raj Bhavan this evening.
Appearing to be positive after meeting the governor, Sangma said, “We had discussed the issues of MRSSA and also ILP and similarly it was also expressed by the Governor that he is concerned about these issues and that he will be taking up the matter at his level along with the Union Home Minister and he has asked me to simultaneously also follow up the matter”.
Sangma quoted the governor as saying that the concerns of the people of the state “are important to him and he will do his best from his side to discuss this matter with the MHA and try to move this forward”.
On ILP, Sangma said, “We have discussed this in details and the honourable Governor will be going to Delhi post December 17 and he will be meeting the Home Minister and other leaders to discuss this matter”. He hoped that “we will be able to find a way forward”.
Enquired when will the delegation of state leaders head to Delhi to discuss the same, the chief minister said, “We will wait for that as the honourable Governor is going to take the matter up at his level so we are going to wait for that and we will see how it will unfold but in the meantime we are in touch with the central government on a continuous basis”.
Talking about the discussion that he held with the Governor on the MRSSA, the chief minister said, “He has seen the entire file and the bill and he feels that it is something that is doable and possible but at the same time he feels that it is a matter which still needs to be discussed with the centre as there were certain concerns earlier and because of that this bill did not go through at that point in time”. “It will only be appropriate to discuss with the centre and that is what he will be doing,” he added.
Stating that it is a very positive message the Governor has given to him, the chief minister said that he will definitely do his best to discuss it with the centre and move these issues forward.
Observers say that it is not however clear whether the Governor would plead for the Centre’s clearance to the pending issues or he would merely ascertain the minds of the union government. Much would depend on what report the Governor submits to the Union Home Minister since such a report would encompass both political and constitutional ramifications for the state.
In a recent interview with The Shillong Times, the Governor had stated that the issue of ILP would be considered “from all angles” before any decision was arrived at.
The ILP issue, it may be recalled, has been hanging fire with the Home Ministry for at least a year now after the Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution in this regard in December last year.
Home minister Amit Shah had then told the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues to come back after enjoying Christmas festival.