Sometimes DC doesn’t give permission even to NPP to hold rally: Meghalaya CM

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 25, 2024

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said the decision on whether to grant permission for holding any rally is totally with the administrative level and not with the chief minister’s level. 

Responding to a question on the strong opposition against the holding of a cow protection rally in Shillong, Sangma said, “Even the NPP when we have to go with rally, I have to apply to DC and sometimes DC doesn’t give permission to even NPP to hold rallies.” 

“So, this decision is totally with administrative level, it’s not a chief ministers level, when Chief Minister also wants to hold rally of my own party, I don’t get permission sometimes from DC,” he said while recalling that Commissioner & Secretary Sanjay Goyal, when he was SDO of Ampati, did not allow him to hold a party rally in 2008.

Stating that there is no question of government’s intervention in this, Sangma said, “We are very clear about this. The permissions are given at the deputy commissioner level and it is up to the commissioner to decide to give or not to give and the deputy commissioner based on different conditions, situations and different issues will, or will not give permissions.”

Asked, the chief minister said there is no question of prohibiting anybody from doing anything in terms of their eating habits and their choices as India is a secular nation.

“There is no doubt about that. I think there is no aspect of government denying or allowing anybody to not practice their eating habits or have their own eating habits. As a said, even political parties, even Chief Minister to hold rallies has to take permission from the deputy commissioner so we all follow the same process,”he stated.