SHILLONG, June 24: Union Home Minister, Amit Shah will visit Meghalaya in July, senior BJP leader and Health Minister, AL Hek said on Thursday.
“We have been informed by the Chief Minister (Conrad K Sangma) that the Union Home Minister will visit the state in the second week of July,” Hek said.
He, however, said since the details of the visit have not been shared yet, he has no idea why the Home Minister is coming. “It is an opportunity (for us) to meet him. All pending issues will be taken up with him,” the Health Minister said.
The pending issues include the long-standing demand for the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state.
Asked if he will raise the ILP issue, Hek reiterated that all pending issues will be taken up. He also said that the leaders of the BJP’s state unit will meet Shah as there are a lot of things to be discussed about to strengthen the party in the state.
He, however, said it will not be an appropriate forum to discuss the growing demand for a change of BJP leadership in the state. He added that the issue will be discussed with the party’s central leadership later.
Shah had visited Shillong in January this year to chair the 69th Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council.
The leaders of the pro-ILP groups were expecting to meet him but that did not happen. Later, they were given to understand that he would meet them in Delhi.
Time rolled by but they were not called to Delhi. In due course, they were told he would meet them in Shillong in March. The visit is still awaited.