Shillong, Jan 19: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Friday released black balloons during a protest against the Centre’s delay to implement the Inner Line Permit (ILP) and inclusion of Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

The protest was staged amid tight security in view of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the state to chair the plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) here.

Activists were seen sitting in the middle of the road displaying placards and shouting slogans at civil point junction in-front of the statue of U Kiang Nangbah.

Addressing the media, HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem said the protest is to send a specific question to the Centre through the Union Home Minister whether the BJP-led Central government treats Meghalaya as part of India or not that it is taking so much time to decide to implement ILP for protection of the indigenous people of the state.

“If they (Centre) don’t feel that Meghalaya is part of India then they should be very clear so that as a community and the state we understand how to move forward because this stepmotherly treatment made us feel that the BJP and the Centre are not treating us in the same level with other states including Manipur. If Manipur can get ILP in a matter of months but why it takes so long for the government to give ILP in the State of Meghalaya,” he said.

He said time and again when they met CM of the state as well as the deputy CM, they were informed that the Union Home Ministry is still examining the two issues that are pending with the central government – one is the ILP and the other is inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule.

“The State Assembly had passed the resolution on Khasi language in 2018 and ILP resolution in 2019 but we feel the central government is not taking these issues seriously. The CM and deputy CM are not giving them a specific reasons as to why the Centre is not in favour of giving ILP to Meghalaya,” he said.

When Asked, the HYC leader further said that Meghalaya being a transit state will not create a problem for implementation of ILP. “We can create such a system where people can pass through the state in a smooth manner. It takes a system how to regulate the movement of people. What we want is regulation of movement of people into the state and outside the state so they do not become permanent residents of the State. To say that being a transit state is a problem; that is why we wanted to have a one-to-one meeting with the Union Home minister or the PM because we want to clear that doubt. It seems our leaders from the state are not able to clear the doubts of the central government that is why these issues are still pending,” he said.

He further said they want to remind government that HYC is not sleeping on these issues and that it will continue to fight for ILP.

Stating that one cannot compare the Sixth Schedule with the ILP, Synrem said, “ILP is a different system altogether. ILP is the regulation of the movement of people inside and outside the state. If you compare just because we have Sixth Schedule you cannot give us ILP then that is not an explanation which is acceptable to us. ILP is different mechanism altogether and Sixth Schedule is a different thing altogether.”

Further, the HYC president said the Council also urges the state government to take steps to table and pass the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to regulate movement of people into the state of Meghalaya.

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