From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, Aug 8: A high-level delegation, led by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his personal intervention in implementing Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya.
The delegation submitted a resolution, adopted unanimously in the state Assembly in 2019 for ILP’s implementation, to the PM and sought his intervention.
Speaker Thomas A. Sangma and most of the Cabinet ministers were with the CM during the meeting with the PM.
For the past few years, the state government has been awaiting a response from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the issue of ILP’s implementation in Meghalaya.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji heard our concerns and assured us to look into the matter,” Sangma said later.
Several pressure groups in Meghalaya have been demanding ILP for the past many years. They believe if ILP is implemented, it will help check the influx of illegal immigrants in the state.
The delegation also sought Modi’s support for the resolution of the state’s border disputes with Assam in the remaining six out of the 12 areas.
Sangma informed the PM that the disputes in six areas were successfully resolved last year, with an agreement signed by both states in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He said a joint survey is underway to demarcate boundaries in these six areas.
Apprising Modi about the government’s peace initiative with rebel group Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), Sangma said the outfit has expressed its readiness for unconditional talks with the state and central governments within the framework of the Indian Constitution. Sangma said formal dialogue is underway and the state government is optimistic about the success of the peace process.
The MHA had signalled the Meghalaya government to initiate peace talks with the HNLC and committed necessary support and guidance throughout the process.
Sangma apprised the PM about the long-pending demand for the inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
On the issue of enlarging the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) by nominating un-represented tribes, the CM said the state government has decided against it after extensive consultations with various stakeholders, given concerns of unequal opportunity among tribes.
The proposed expansion of seats in the ADCs might alter the ratio of seats to the number of tribes/sub-tribes and would raise concerns about the equitable distribution of nominated seats in the ADCs, he said.
The memorandum, submitted to the PM, expressed apprehension that this disproportionate allocation might lead to inequality of opportunity among different tribes, potentially endangering the unity and fraternity they share.
Additionally, Meghalaya emphasized that there is no reservation for seats filled by universal adult suffrage, and no ban on any tribe/sub-tribe participating in the election process – be it contesting or voting and hence, after extensive consultations with various stakeholders, the state government opted against the nomination of un-represented tribes to the ADCs.