Decision likely in New Year
SHILLONG: The state government has sent the gazette notification related to the ILP resolution to the Centre on Monday.
An official source said that the notification on ILP as passed by the Assembly on December 19 was forwarded to the Centre for its approval. According to the official, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma will take up the matter with the Centre after Christmas.
Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah wanted the chief minister to come to Delhi after Christmas to discuss the issues related to CAA.
Sources said on Sunday that the Centre may explore three options — exemption of CAA in the entire Meghalaya, extension of Sixth Schedule to all areas and the implementation of ILP as being demanded by several quarters.
The Centre will make a decision on the demands likely next year.
According to sources, the Centre has created a situation which resulted in North East getting different treatment as far as the exemption of CAA is concerned.
The Centre had exempted only the Sixth Schedule areas and the states which are implementing ILP from the purview of CAA.
There are already demands from the legislators and MDCs to extend Sixth Schedule to the remaining normal areas which are only 3 per cent.
There was renewed demand for ILP in Meghalaya after the Centre hurriedly notified Manipur under ILP on December 11.
Sources pointed out that since the Centre made a commitment regarding exemption of CAA in Schedule areas and states under ILP it would be difficult not to address the demand of the people for implementation of ILP in other states, including Meghalaya.
The state government is hopeful of a presidential notification to include Meghalaya in the preamble of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 like in the case of Manipur.
There are already concerns over the Centre deleting Khasi-Jaintia districts along with other districts of the North East from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 to include Manipur under ILP.