SHILLONG, FEB 18: Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma adjourned the House for ten minutes on Wednesday after heated exchanges between ruling and opposition benches over the government’s decision to seek a protected/restricted area status for Meghalaya under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.
Pandemonium erupted as members clashed on the issue while the inner-line permit (ILP) demand awaits approval.
“When the Chair is on its feet, please sit down,” the Speaker told members. When they refused, he announced: “I will adjourn the House for 10 minutes.”
Opposition VPP legislator Ardent M Basaiawmoit accused the government of insincerity on ILP.
“Why does the state want ILP? Because influx comes not only from foreigners but from outsiders… I would like a sincere reply whether the government is playing with the sentiment of the people,” he said.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma rejected the charge, saying he had written to and met the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister repeatedly on ILP, and challenged Basaiawmoit: “How many times has the honourable MLA written to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister? He has not met the Union Home Minister on ILP.”
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, holding home and parliamentary affairs, told Basaiawmoit: “If you are serious, you should go to Delhi,” and urged him to “stop the drama.”
When the House resumed, the Speaker reminded members: “I just want to remind this House that this is a place where we discuss matters in a civilized manner. I request all members to participate in debates, questions and answers in a civilized way.”
Continuing with his reply on the issue, Sangma told the Assembly that his government is still pursuing the inner-line permit (ILP) while exploring additional safeguards under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, as opposition VPP members accused the government of dragging its feet.
“We have met the Government of India multiple times,” the chief minister said, responding to Basaiawmoit.
“How many times has the MLA himself gone to meet the prime minister or the home minister? He says it is an important issue—I request him to pursue it along with us in Delhi. NGOs and organisations have gone and written to the Centre on ILP, but the member has not written. We should practice what we preach,” Sangma said.
He added, “Let me assure that we have not stopped pursuing ILP. We are pursuing it but we are also looking at other mechanisms and all possibilities. We will continue to pursue ILP and other mechanisms to ensure we are able to curb illegal immigration.”
Raising a supplementary, Basaiawmoit countered: “If the CM alleges me, I need to ask how many times the government has taken us into consideration so that we together move to Delhi. Our (VPP Shillong) MP had raised this issue.”
He asked whether the government had challenged the 2019 presidential order on ILP and said, “I would love the CM to call us also to fight.”
He argued that pursuing an ILP-like provision was “a vague negotiation” that only gives the Centre an option.
The chief minister replied: “Our seriousness is in the action. He is free to go and meet the Union Home Minister. Giving speech is great, but for us, we don’t talk much—we believe in action. We are very happy that the opposition will work with us. You pursue at your level. We are open to this idea, but don’t use this House to say this government is not serious. There is nothing wrong to explore possibilities. Our purpose is to find ways and means to check this issue, and we will continue to pursue ILP.”
When North Shillong VPP legislator Adelbert Nongrum accused the government of “fooling” people over ILP, Sangma shot back saying, “If anybody is fooling, it is he who is fooling. Every time he comes, but never in his life met the Union Home Minister and has not written to the Union Home Minister.”
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong added: “If Adelbert says we are fooling—what do you mean by fooling? Can you prove it? Let him prove it.”
The exchanges spilled past question hour.
“The question hour is over. Please sit down. I am calling the House to order,” Speaker Thomas A. Sangma said. “This will not go on record.”
