MDA delegation ready to meet Centre on ILP issue: Dohling

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJanuary 9, 2020

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government is waiting for the Centre’s response to its request for discussion on the demand to implement the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state.

Informing this here on Thursday, Urban affairs minister Hamletson Dohling told reporters that as soon as the chief minister Conrad K Sangma joined office, they have met him to discuss on the visit of the government delegation to Delhi.

“We have communicated to New Delhi since the union home minister Amit Shah had assured to meet us after Christmas. However, the meeting is yet to be fixed as we are yet to get any response from the Centre,” Dohling, who is also PDF legislator from Mylliem said.

The state Assembly had passed a resolution urging the Centre to implement ILP in Meghalaya on December 19, last year following growing demand arising out of the massive protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.

The former KSU leader-turned politician further informed that the government delegation would immediately visit New Delhi once they get a call from the Centre to aggressively pursue the matter.

“We are ready to meet the Centre at any time they call us,” he said while adding that he has been demanding the implementation of the ILP since the time he was the general secretary of the KSU. According to him, both the government and the people are on the same page.

Stating that it is too early to comment on what the outcome of the meeting will be, the minister however maintained that the government will insist that the “Centre should give us ILP”.