Ardent question if MDA met union home minister over ILP issue

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJanuary 29, 2021

Former legislator of Nongkrem, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said that the failure of the union home minister Amit Shah to discuss the Inner Line Permit (ILP) issue has created doubt that the MDA government had even met him.

He was reacting to Shah’s refusal to discuss the ILP issue during his meeting with the delegation of the state Cabinet and various pressure groups during his visit to the state on January 23. 

Speaking to reporters during the launching of a link for online registration of membership for the ‘Revolution Iada La Ka Ri’ on Thursday, Basaiawmoit said that Shah’s recent visit has saddened the people of the state for his unwillingness to talk about the vital issues especially the demand for implementation of the ILP in Meghalaya. 

Stating that this has sent a wrong impression on the part of the state leaders, the former legislator said the question is whether the state leaders had really met and discussed with the union leaders in the past as they have explained to the people of the state from time to time. 

“It creates a doubt. If they (MDA) had really discuss and met the union home minister on the issue of ILP, we would have expected that the home minister would have at least give a line or a very short statement to the social and pressure groups that this matter has been discussed with your state leaders so give us sometime, the government of India will invite you to Delhi to further discuss the issue but nothing of that kind came from him as a union home minister,” he said. 

Condemning the attitude of the union home minister, Basaiawmoit said, “It also shows that he (Shah) is not bothered about the problems of the people of Meghalaya, which is very unfortunate and condemnable I would say.” 

Talking about the goals of the revolution, the ex-MLA said the objective of this revolution is to bring about a complete change in the community and the state as a whole.  

“We have also highlighted the issues of the revolution in the form of pamphlets in order to make the people aware…As the saying goes charity begins at home, we want to start this from our families to be followed at the village level – we will deal with the unity of the community,” he said while adding that the revolution would also highlight about the importance of clean politics and others. 

He said the registration process, which will also be made available offline, is for people who would like to be part of the revolution.

Asked, Basaiawmoit said the revolution will also sensitize the people of the state on the need to implement the ILP, to say no to uranium mining and resolving the long pending boundary dispute in the state. 

He said after gathering the support of the people, the revolution will submit memorandums to both the state and the centre governments. “If the government fails to comply with our demands, we will have no other option but to call for agitations,” Basaiawmoit said.