Newmai News Network
IMPHAL, July 28
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]anipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh on Monday told the state assembly that his Government is not neglecting the issue of Inner Line Permit (ILP) and appealed to all to put pressure together on the Central Government for its introduction in the state.
The chief minister was reiterating his Government’s stance on the ILP issue on the last day of the state budget session in the House in the wake of the mounting pressure on the Government over the issue with unabated public protest.
Stating that it would not be right for the people to think that the government is not willing to introduce ILP in the state under Bengal Easter Frontier Regulation 1783, Ibobi made it very clear that the police crackdown against students and women protestors demanding ILP system was meant to maintain law and order.The chief minister said that ILP is still enforced in the states of Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh because these states became smaller communities during the British period after they were separated from the then bigger Assam.
Manipur and Tripura were once kingdoms but they later joined the Indian Union, and that the Government of India later revoked the Act from Manipur in 1950, he mentioned.
Ibobi also announced that an All Party Political Meeting on the ILP issue will be held as early as possible. He informed that all the stakeholders including students and the ILP demand committee can also attend the proposed meeting to have a detailed discussion on it.
Ibobi said that there will be no problem in approaching the Centre together for implementation of the Act.
