Pro-ILP groups of Meghalaya Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organizations (CoMSO) on Tuesday reiterated their demand for implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the State.
CoMSO seeks the permit system to check entry of outsiders into Meghalaya and condemned the State government for allegedly adopting a dual attitude towards the issue.
Addressing a rally at Motphran on Tuesday, CoMSO chairman Robertjune Kharjahrin condemned the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government for not implementing the ILP in the State.
Kharjahrin said while the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published in Assam, BJP chief and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Centre was determined to implement the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).
But Meghalaya stands nowhere as the State does not have a strong law to protect the state, he said.
“There is no strong law that can protect the people of the state, except ILP,” Kharjahrin told a crowd attending the rally.
Slamming the MDA government, Kharjahrin said CoMSO, a conglomerate of several groups, has played a constructive role by discussing and giving suggestions to the state government on the issue.
“However, the State government is adopting a dual attitude towards this issue,” said Kharjahrin.
“On one hand, it is saying that we oppose the CAB, but on the other, it has never acted in the way to protect the people of the state.”
“The government should understand that opposing the CAB and implementing ILP is the same,” Kharjahrin lambasted.
Stating that CoMSO has been welcoming the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2016, Kharjahrin said the group did not oppose this Act but welcomed it with a condition that the provisions of ILP should be incorporated.
“We have been demanding that ILP’s teeth should be inserted in the MRSSA,” he said.
Urging the people to continue with the “no ILP no rest” demand, Kharjahrin also urged the people to support democratic protest being called by the group.
Kharjahrin also tried to reach out to other groups to join hands instead of criticizing each other.
“We want ILP, but not ego. Let’s work together instead of pulling and blaming each other. If you want, come and lead, and we are ready to follow if there the status on ILP is not changed,” Kharjahrin said.
He also dared all the MLAs, who oppose ILP, to make their stand clear.
“If anyone from among the MLAs opposes ILP, we urge them to make their stand clear before the people,” Kharjahrin stated.