SHILLONG, Aug 13: The KSU and HYC are not happy with the assurance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to examine the demand for the implementation of the inner-line permit (ILP) and the inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
The two pressure groups insisted that the Centre fulfil the two demands at the earliest.
KSU general secretary, Donald K. Thabah told reporters on Sunday that “examination” seems to be a “mere excuse” by the Centre for delaying the implementation of ILP and recognising the Khasi language.
Pointing out that the ILP has been a pending issue since 1987, he said successive state governments failed to address the KSU-spearheaded popular demand for an ILP mechanism in the state.
He observed that the present governments – at the Centre and in the state – are yet to take any concrete steps or give concrete assurances on the implementation of ILP.
“Since 2019, the ILP issue has always been under examination or scrutiny by the BJP-led government. Why is it taking so long for that so-called examination?” Thabah asked.
The Centre, he felt, was least concerned about the welfare and the protection of the minuscule indigenous communities in Meghalaya. “It also appears that sections of the immigrant population in the state are opposed to the idea of ILP, as was evident from the conflict in Ichamati in 2020,” he said.
The delay on ILP is favouring the immigrants and going against the rights of the indigenous people of the state, Thabah said. “Barring a few opportunistic, self-centred politicians, the MLAs in the state are also in favour of ILP. It is high time the Centre implemented the ILP in Meghalaya as it did for Manipur,” he said.
He said the demand for the inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule is a much longer movement dating back to the 1960s. The Khasi Authors’ Society has been at the helm of this demand.
Thabah recalled that the KSU under the leadership of its former president Banshan Sing Nongbet sent a telegram to the then Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1992 for recognising the Khasi language so as to further enrich and ensure its survival amidst a plethora of languages spoken by dominant communities in India.
HYC president Robertjune Kharjahrin expressed surprise over the outcome of the meeting of Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and his team with the PM. “Now, the PM is examining what the MHA and the home minister have done,” he said.
“We want the CM to clarify what kind of examination is being conducted,” he said, asking how the ILP is in force in four Northeastern states.
There cannot be any legal issue in Meghalaya as the courts have always upheld the provisions of the ILP, he said.
On the fear that ILP will affect the tourism industry, he said this aspect has been taken care of with the help of technology. “Tourism in Arunachal Pradesh has not been affected by e-ILP, which can be done online fast,” Kharjahrin said.
“We suggested before the union home minister that issuing a transit pass would not be a problem in a transit state like Meghalaya,” he said.
“Through ILP, we just want to protect our unique identity, culture, customs, land, and our political and economic rights,” he added.
Kharjahrin said they will not accept the argument that ILP cannot be implemented in Meghalaya because it is covered by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
“ILP and Sixth Schedule are two different things. Mizoram has both ILP and Sixth Schedule. Nagaland and Manipur are protected by ILP and Article 371. Why, then, should Meghalaya be deprived?” he asked.
