By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 22: Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) common candidate for 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Robertjune Kharjahrin, has argued that the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) by the neighbouring state of Assam poses serious threat to the indigenous communities of Meghalaya.
Addressing an election meeting at Mawpun village in Umroi, Kharjahrin said Meghalaya does not have any legislation to safeguard the indigenous community.
Maintaining that as many as 39 lakh people have been left out from the list of NRC prepared by Assam, Kharjahrin said, “The question now is where will these 39 lakh people go? Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram have got ILP. Now it is only Meghalaya where there is no law to protect the indigenous communities.”
Questioning the MPs for failing to pursue the decades-long demand for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya, he said, “It is for this failure of the MPs that the demand has not yet materialised.”
Stating that Meghalaya is expected to see a huge demographic growth once the latest census is declared, he said, “We have seen in the 2011 census that Meghalaya is one of the states which has witnessed a huge increase in the density of population. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a law like ILP to protect our identity.”