Shillong, December 5: Even as it expressed doubt over the existence of a letter of the union home joint secretary (north east) Shambhu Singh to the state government wherein a statement has attributed to him saying that the ILP cannot be implemented in Meghalaya, the thirteen pro ILP-ngos nonetheless welcomed the purported statement wherein he has also said that the ILP “can continue in states where it already exists”.
HNYF general secretary Sadon K Blah said that Shambhu’s purported statement is the most appropriate for Meghalaya because the EBFR 1873 is still an existing regulatory mechanism to check influx into the state. In a statement issued on Thursday he said however its status is only a forgotten law which remains to be implemented in the state.
In a New Delhi dateline news story carried in one of the English dailies of the state, Shambhu has been quoted as saying, ““There is no provision in the Constitution to introduce ILP in any state. It can continue in states where it already exists as per the Constitution, or if need be it can be withdrawn. But we cannot introduce ILP anymore, anywhere else.”
Blah, however said that the pro-ILP ngos doubts whether such a letter really exist or was it really sent to the state government because till now they have not seen the copy of such a letter. He also was of the opinion that the purported letter might be just a ploy of the state government to subdue the demands for the implementation of ILP in the State.
Blah statement said, “We are not surprised with the claim of existence of such mysterious letters from the central government whenever the state is in turmoil, we still remember when in the height of political instability and rumblings during the chief ministership of DD Lapang he always talk of such secrets and mysterious letters from the central government.”
According to Blah, in this phase of unrest in Meghalaya it will be more appropriate for the state government to make public the contents of such letter so that the ngos will be able to take a calculated moves in their demand for the implementation of ILP.
Blah, however, said that the ngos are surprised to read that the union home ministry had declined the demand for the implementation of ILP in the state as the state government had never made any demand for the implementation of ILP in the State to the union government.
Blah asserted that the pro-ILP ngos want to send a clear message to the government that this is not a time for rhetoric and populist propaganda but it is a time for action to fulfill the aspirations of the indigenous people of the state.
Blah further said, “Even if the union home ministry had sent such a letter, it only shows that this particular department of the central government is not thinking in lines of what is mandated by the constitution of the country where there are plethora of constitutional provisions which favors the protection and promotion of the minorities Right to Self-determination.”
Meanwhile, the ngos also have decided to reschedule the timing of the night road blockade on December 6 from 10 pm to 5 am to the next day because of requests from various quarters.
The whole thing is in a complete mess. Perhaps the Central Government is least bother of all these things because their mind is occupied with the 2014 elections. It is not surprising though. Meanwhile, the NGO’s have to do a deep research on this matter and it’s very necessary they come up with facts. Throwing words at each other will not help..
The purported letter of the central government for its inability to implement ILP in Meghalaya is ludícrous. I opine in a democratic country like India it cannot be true. Even the constitution can be amended.
They say India is a Democratic Country when they cannot even fulfill the needs of the people..