ILP needs collective decision, says Rijiju

SHILLONG, Oct 22: Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said the Centre has to take a collective decision on the demand for the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya by taking into account the larger interest of everyone.
He told journalists here that the demand raised by the people has its own relevance but “the issue requires larger deliberation and consultations.”
He also said that the Centre has decided to repeal all British-era obsolete and unnecessary laws that are burden for the common people, barring ILP, which is a regulation and which varies from state to state.
“Laws are meant to bring something good for the common people and not to trouble them,” he said, favouring the repeal of those laws that have no relevance today.
Rijiju also said that the Centre will repeal more than 1,500 obsolete and archaic laws during the winter session of Parliament.
The minister said that this initiative stemmed from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s desire to reduce the role of the government in people’s lives.
Obsolete laws are impediments in the normal life of common people and do not have relevance in the present time, nor deserve to remain in the statute books, Rijiju said.
“It is the Prime Minister’s desire to reduce the compliance burden of the people, to ensure that they can live as peacefully as possible. He wants less government role in the life of the common people,” he said.
There are charges of corruption and irregularities against the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government but Rijiju lauded it for doing “good work”.
He wished the BJP got a chance to play a bigger role in the government, which would have ensured more development and benefits for the people.
Stating that Meghalaya deserves more BJP MLAs, he said the development activities in the state would get a momentum if the saffron party rises to power.
The BJP leaders in Meghalaya seemingly wanted the party to withdraw its support to the government over corruption issues. However, its central leadership is maintaining a stony silence on the matter.