CoMSO demands CM to lead all party delegation to Delhi over Centre’s delay to implement ILP

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaDecember 3, 2020

Anti-influx groups have demanded the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma to lead an all party delegation to Delhi for pressurizing the Centre to immediately implement the inner-line permit (ILP) in Meghalaya.

The demand was made by a delegation under the banner of the Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO) during a meeting held with Sangma in his office chamber on Thursday.

“We impressed upon the chief minister that leading an all party delegation would show that the state is united on the ILP issue,” CoMSO chairman Robertjune Kharjahrin told reporters after the meeting.  

He said the situation also demands all 60 legislators to ensure the history resolution passed by the state Assembly, last year, is approved in order to fulfill the long pending aspiration of the people of the state.

Asking all political parties to refrain from politicizing the ILP issue, Kharjahrin, also HYC chief said, “When all of them have supported the resolution, it cannot be that the responsibility to pursue the matter should be left only to the state government alone.”

“Therefore, we strongly demand for an all party delegation which will have representatives from all political parties to aggressively pursue the matter with the Centre,” he added.  

Asked, the CoMSO leader said that the chief minister has assured the delegation that he would give a thought on the proposal to lead an all party delegation to Delhi.

“He (Sangma) also informed that he would again go to Delhi to conduct a follow up on the ILP resolution since the Centre is undecided on the issue,” he added.

Stating that the ILP is a public movement, Kharjahrin said if the Centre can give ILP to other Sixth Schedule states in the North-east, Meghalaya too has the right to get similar protection.

“The argument that Meghalaya is a transit state does not arise as we also have equal right to protect ourselves from the unabated influx, which threatens our identity,” he said.

Kharjahrin further informed that the delegation has maintained its stiff opposition against any attempt to give citizenship to illegal immigrants under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

According to him, although the Centre is yet to frame the rules for implementation of the CAA yet people are allowed to apply for citizenship.

Earlier, the delegation also sought the intervention of the lone Rajya Sabha MP Dr WR Kharlukhi for taking up the ILP resolution with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Kharjahrin said that the MP has assured the delegation that he would raised all important issues concerning Meghalaya in the NDA meeting which will be held very soon.

Meanwhile, the CoMSO has decided to go ahead with its statewide sit-in-demonstration on Friday, as a mark of protest against the Centre’s delay to implement ILP in the state.