After waiting for more than a month, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K. Sangma met Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday to discuss the demand for implementation of the inner-line permit (ILP) in the state.
However, nothing concrete — on whether the ILP regime will be extended to Meghalaya under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 — was finalised.
After meeting Shah, Conrad said: “I conveyed to the Union home minister regarding the resolution that was passed (by the Meghalaya Assembly) on December 19, 2019, to implement the ILP in Meghalaya. I told him that a delegation from Meghalaya would like to meet him. I expressed the requirements and demand to implement the ILP.”
The delegation is likely to meet Shah after the Delhi Assembly elections.
The polls will be held on February 8 while counting of votes will be held on February 11.
This was the second meeting between Conrad and Shah following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The first meeting took place in December where Shah agreed to meet Conrad again after Christmas to discuss the concerns raised regarding the Act.
Following the passage of the CAA, the demand for implementation of the ILP in Meghalaya has intensified. The state legislature had to pass a resolution wherein an appeal was made to the Centre to extend the provisions of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 to the state.
The demand for the permit regime was also triggered by the Centre’s decision to extend the ILP to Manipur.
In Thursday’s meeting, Conrad also discussed issues related to the three autonomous district councils in the state. He said overall law and order in the state and different economic issues were discussed.
“We spoke about various projects that we are taking up on a large scale, including the projects for the National Games. I mentioned about the project from the Union social justice ministry that is pending with the cabinet. He assured me that he would take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Conrad said.
The two leaders also spoke about the law-and-order situation in the Northeast.