SHILLONG, June 16: A senior BJP central leader on Friday expressed ignorance on the long-standing demand for the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya.
“I am not aware of the issues and I am not authorised to speak on these issues,” BJP national secretary Sunil Deodhar told reporters.
In December 2019, the Meghalaya Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution to urge the Centre to implement ILP in the state and subsequently, the matter was taken up with the Centre. However, the demand continues to remain unfulfilled.
For the past many years, several pressure groups have been vocal demanding the ILP’s implementation. The resolution was passed in the House when they intensified the movement.
More than three years have elapsed since but the Centre is yet to utter a single word on the demand even though ministers and MLAs from the state and members of the pressure groups met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on several occasions and took up the matter with him.
Earlier, some political leaders had said Meghalaya should not expect to get ILP till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. They said the Centre will have a lot of other things to concentrate on during the intervening period.
During the tenure of MDA 1.0 government, state BJP chief Ernest Mawrie had said the Centre is conducting an in-depth study on the provisions, areas and practices of the people of the state with regard to ILP demand.
He had also stated that the BJP’s central leaders were apprised of the views of the people and they respect the demand.
Cong slammed for
‘toxic campaigns’
The BJP central leadership has held the alleged misguided campaign of the Congress against the BJP responsible for its failure to flourish in Meghalaya while maintaining that the only way to break the ice is by outreaching to the people to make them convinced.
The BJP, despite being in the state’s political circuit for a long time, has not been able to reach the expected level and despite all out campaign in last Assembly elections and contesting in all the 60 seat of the State Assembly , it managed to secure only two seats.
The BJP national secretary, who attended a programme ‘Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat’ on Friday in the State BJP office, said, “The opposition has always tried to speak against us and misguide people. They will try to disseminate wrong information, because they do not want PM Narendra Modia and his party to grow in this state.”
“Main reason is – it will finish corruption and there will be law and order as other states are experiencing, there will be no discrimination,” he added.
Drawing reference from the statement of Goa Cabinet Minister Nilesh Cabral, the BJP National Secretary said, “As the Goa Minsiter had said before that BJP had only two or three MLAs in the predominantly Christian state and every election there was strong campaign from Congress specifically which used to establish that if BJP comes to power all Christians will be finished”.
“Now, he is saying that in the last ten years BJP government is there and many Christians ministers and MLAs are there and nothing has happened to the Christians, rather they are flourishing, growing and prospering because we really do not discriminate,” he added.
Attacking the Congress, he said, “During Congress regime, people from Northeast across the country faced discrimination, humiliation and incitement. Everyday news of students from this part of the country facing discrimination used to grab the headlines from Mumbai, Bangalroe Delhi, Noida.”
Deodhar said, “Now such news has disappeared in the last nine years. I do not say incidents are not happening, but very less in comparison to the past, almost negligible.”
Stating that even if a single incident of discrimination takes place against the NE it is wrong, he said, “See, during the Congress time what was happening. North East was a place to loot money and the Congress looked at NE as its ATM. Now all the money sent by the Centre to NE is utilised for highways, railways, airways.”
Putting his faith on the State BJP leadership, he said, “They will try to work hard and I am confident of our leadership in Meghalaya whether Hek or Sanbor and our young leaders and state president. I have faith that they will be able to break the ice.”
