Newmai News Network
Shillong | February 4
With the Centre’s move to implement the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), the senior working president of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Bindo M Lanong has said that it is high time for the Meghalaya government to implement the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya. “In the face of all this, I think it is time for the government to consider implementing it. We need ILP and this is my personal opinion since the party is yet to officially discuss on the matter,” Lanong said here on Monday.
Lanong also recalled that when he was the Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of law, he was asked to head a committee which was constituted by the then Chief Minister, Dr. Mukul Sangma to have a consultation with different NGOs on the demand for ILP. He said that the NGOs in the first meeting itself had said that there will be no discussion as they are all in favour of ILP. “So we sent a unanimous report (to the government) that there was nothing short of the ILP,” Lanong said.
The former legislator also pointed out that the Thrang Rngad Committee had also recommended the implementation of the Inner Line Permit. He also strongly reacted to the statement made by the opposition Congress that the regional political parties have not responded properly to the issue related to the citizenship bill. Lanong claimed that the UDP was the first to bring to the knowledge of the public about the fear and after effects of the citizenship bill.
“We have also discussed the ill effects that are going to be caused to the country and the North east region if millions of people are offered in a platter by the BJP to come over to India during the recently held meeting of regional parties from the region at Guwahati,” he said. He said that the BJP has felt the urgency to bring foreign nationals just to increase its vote investment without taking into consideration the burden on the country to provide facilities to them.
“All these will cause great financial burden to the government. We feel this is really at a very wrong timing as it is just few months before the Lok Sabha elections,” Lanong said adding that the party has demanded that the BJP-led NDA government drops this idea and withdraws this Bill.
