SHILLONG, Jan 6: The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations (CoMSO) on Wednesday asked the Centre to listen to the voices of the people and respect their sentiments if it does not want a law and order situation in Meghalaya or the Northeast.
“If they do not want to see the law and order situation to deteriorate in the Northeast or Meghalaya, they should start listening to the people and respect their aspirations,” CoMSO chairman, Robertjune Kharjahrin, said.
He said the implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) is no longer a “political decision” but a constitutional obligation of the Centre since the Meghalaya Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution seeking its implementation and inclusion of Khasi and Jaintia languages in the Eight Schedule of the Constitution.
During his recent visit to the state, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju had cautioned against any untoward incident relating to the demand over ILP stating that it will damage the region’s image. He had asserted that the Centre understands the needs and concerns of the people of the Northeast.
But Kharjahrin said, “Empty words do not solve any problem. The Centre has shown its political will by protecting the indigenous people of Manipur through the implementation of ILP. Why is it not bringing Meghalaya under its purview then?”
“It was Rijiju who made it clear that ILP is a political decision. This means they need a political will,” Kharjahrin said, adding, “Give us ILP so that our indigenous people do not get outnumbered. The moment we are outnumbered, we will face a Tripura-like situation.”
Stating that the CoMSO will invest all its energy and strength to the ILP movement, Kharjahrin said, “We hope for the best and prepare for the worst”.
He reminded the Centre that its failure to solve the state’s boundary dispute with Assam had caused law and order problems in the past.
