By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 6: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Saturday said all legislators, who constitute the National People’s Party-led MDA coalition, have a proven record of being against the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state.
“With due respect, all these people constituting the MDA government have a proven record that they were against ILP. Therefore, we don’t trust them. This was the position we took in 2023,” VPP spokesperson Batskhem Myrboh said on Saturday.
He said the Assembly had passed a resolution for the implementation of ILP in the state but the members involved do not seem to be interested in taking it forward.
“They were the people who half-heartedly or even quarter-heartedly committed to the ILP. In 2019, the Centre not only failed to give us the consent to ILP’s implementation but also removed the Khasi Jaintia Hills district from the preamble of the regulation of 1873. It was the failure of the state government,” the VPP leader said.
“Maybe, they are committed to implementing ILP and passed a resolution but we don’t know the engagement behind. The scene outside may be different,” Myrboh said.
He said the VPP will raise the matter as a responsible party. He admitted that it is not a simple matter.
“We will put pressure on the central government. When people decide to send our candidate to parliament, we will raise it there and not rest,” he added.
Buckling under pressure from various pressure groups, the Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution during a special session on December 19, 2019 urging the Government of India to implement ILP in the state under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.
Several years have rolled by since but the Centre is yet to speak a word on the demand of the state even after ministers, MLAs and members of pressure groups had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on several occasions.