Modi govt sensitive to the need of NE people: Rijiju

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJanuary 4, 2021

Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports, Kiren Rijiju today said the issue of inner line permit (ILP) is a political decision and that the central government is very sensitive to the need of the North East people.

The minister was reacting to the protest staged by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) against the Centre’s delay to implement the ILP in the state, during his visit to NEHU campus for inaugurating synthetic athletic track and football ground at SAI training centre.

“Protest is part of democracy, demand can be made, how it can be solved, you will require discussion but I cannot comment on the subject directly because I am not dealing with this matter right now so it is difficult to go into the subject,” Rijiju told reporters.

He also recalled, “When I was in the home ministry, we had done many things to ensure that peace and tranquility is maintained in the North East.”

Stating that ILP is a political decision, the minister however assured that the central government is very sensitive towards the needs of the NE people including ethnicity and identity.

“What I can say is for the protection of the indigenous language, culture, tradition, social practice, heritage… everything is being done by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and his government. This government is very sensitive to the needs of the people of NE including the ethnicity and identity,” he said.

“We have to harmonize the entire nation, we have to promote local culture and on top of that we have to be peaceful everywhere, so we want that in NE, no untoward incident should happen which will damage our credibility but people’s need and people’s concern are being understood and Modi government is doing everything for the NE which no other government has ever done before,” Rijiju further stated.