Meghalaya Dy CM dispels reports of Amit Shah’s “hard-hitting” reply on ILP

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SHILLONG

Amid reports of Home Minister Amit Shah’s “hard-hitting” reply to Meghalaya’s demand for Inner Line Permit (ILP), Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Monday clarified that the media report was “false” and “baseless”.

According to local media reports, the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, had reportedly asked the CM and Dy CM to choose whether they wanted Inner Line Permit (ILP) or Sixth Schedule.

“No such communication was made (by Shah) be it to the Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister, like what had been claimed in the papers,” Tynsong said.

Clarifying on the issue, the Deputy Chief Minister said the Home Minister only told the delegation led by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma that he would discuss the issue and meet all the stakeholders when he visits Shillong in March.

It may be mentioned that a delegation of ministers from Meghalaya led by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had visited New Delhi earlier this month to meet several union ministers to discuss issues relating to the State.

“Being part of the meeting that day (February 10), we met the Home Minister and some officials of the Home Ministry. We discussed the ILP and MRSSA (Meghalaya Residents’ Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) issues. He told us he will be speaking to the stakeholders, including NGOs, during his two-day visit to Shillong in March, though the dates are yet to be confirmed,” Tynsong said.

Meghalaya NGOs have been demanding the implementation of ILP in the state for the past few decades, and the demand grew louder in December 2019 following the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

In December 2019, the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly had also passed a unanimous resolution to urge the Centre to implement ILP in the state to control the influx.

(Edited by Ibankyntiew Mawrie)

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