SHILLONG, Aug 24: Rajya Sabha member and NPP state president, WR Kharlukhi on Tuesday mocked Congress for talking big and doing nothing on the demand for Inner Line Permit when it was in power.
He also asserted that the NPP had the courage to pursue the issue with the Centre after taking a resolution in the Assembly.
“What has the Congress done besides talking big in almost 50 years since our statehood? The ILP demand was there when I was a student in 1979 but Congress did nothing,” he said.
“At least we had the courage to pass it in the House and we are going to pursue it because we are very clear on the ILP unlike Congress,” Kharlukhi said.
The MP said he was scheduled to raise the issues of ILP and the Eighth Schedule in Parliament but the session was disrupted. “I will take it up in time. I won’t let our people down,” he added.
He also said that during his first year as an MP he did not even get a proper place due to the pandemic and at times would get some space in the gallery.
Kharlukhi insisted the political calculations on ILP need to be right to get the Centre’s nod.
On Congress attacking the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance over the deterioration of the law-and-order situation, the MP advised Opposition Leader Mukul Sangma to look at his own track record before commenting.
The former CM had a few days ago sought a change in government while accusing the MDA of failing on the law-and-order front.
“How good was he (Dr Sangma)? We all know what happened during his tenure as the Home Minister and the Chief Minister. He should not be so desperate to be in the government and work hard,” Kharlukhi said.
Claiming everything was hunky-dory within the MDA, the MP lauded Home Minister Lakhmen Rymbui and said he has been doing a good job. “Accepting or rejecting his resignation is the prerogative of the Chief Minister,” he said.
Kharlukhi said it would be better to leave it to the people to decide in 2023 whether or not the MDA government has failed. He asserted that the MDA’s law-and-order record has been good barring the recent incident triggered by former extremist Cheristerfield Thangkhiew’s killing.
The MP also slammed Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala for allegedly referring to the youths of Meghalaya as Taliban, advising him to do his research before commenting.
“He has hurt the sentiments of the people here,” Kharlukhi said.
