SHILLONG, Jan 19: The Opposition Congress on Tuesday said the people of Meghalaya need to feel secure about the efforts toward implementation of the Inner-Line Permit (ILP) in the state.
The demand for ILP should not give the impression that “we are violent or anti-Indian”, Congress MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh said.
Stating that the people of the state are as much patriotic as their counterparts in the other north-eastern states, she said: “It is wrong to look at us as rogues or anti-Indians when people of Manipur and Nagaland are not seen as communal for demanding and getting ILP.”
She said Meghalaya has been more accommodating than other north-eastern states.
“It does not mean violence will be unleashed against the non-indigenous after ILP or MRSSA is implemented,” Lyngdoh said, adding that one needs to weigh the pros and cons of every issue in a democracy.
She said the genuine non-tribal people of the state know that the indigenous communities have a positive frame of mind. “It is wrong to say there is genocide against non-tribal people. We have to be cautious about what we say,” she said. Lyngdoh slammed criticisms of the entry-exit point at Umling. “The point is serving a purpose until the ILP system is in place”.