SHILLONG:
With Meghalaya heading towards the 2023 Assembly elections, Union Law minister Kiren Rijiju said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should have more space in governance in Meghalaya maintaining that the state deserves to have more MLAs from the saffron party.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a programme on Saturday, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Rozgar Mela (a recruiting drive for 10 lakh people), Rijiju said, “NDA has to have a major role in the governance here otherwise it will be unfortunate for the people. Meghalaya people have voted for the NDA led by the National People’s Party (NPP). They are doing a good job but I wish BJP has more roles in the government because it will bring more development and benefits to the people,” he said.
He said that benefits and developmental activities follow whenever the BJP is in power or plays a major role in the government.
“Meghalaya deserves more MLAs from the BJP party,” he said.
Asked if the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) did not perform well amidst allegations of scams, Rijiju said that the present government is doing good things which can be pushed if the BJP is given a role in the government.
When asked about the issue of Inner Line Permit (ILP), which has been brought up by various pressure groups, Rijiju said that it needs to be decided collectively. “The issue of each state is different from the other. The issues raised by the local people here have their relevance and importance. Government has to take a collective decision taking into account the larger interest of everyone. I cannot comment on anything specific because it requires larger deliberation and consultation,” he said.
Asked on when the Citizenship Amendment Act will be rolled out, Rijiju said that the Home department is dealing with the matter but said that it was halted due to the pandemic.
Responding to a query that the Centre is trying to repeal all outdated British era laws, Rijiju said that the Union government has decided to remove all ‘obsolete laws’.
“We have decided to remove all obsolete, archaic laws. Unnecessary laws are a burden for the common man. All those unnecessary laws that were enacted a long time back and do not hold any relevance in today’s time do not deserve to be in the statute. So, we have removed more than 1500 laws,” he said.
He said that in the coming Winter session of the Parliament, he is preparing to introduce repealed acts in the Parliament.
When asked if Inner Line Permit (ILP) will be included, he said that ILP was through a regulation.
“I am talking about the old laws which work as an impediment in the normal life of the common people. There should be a minimum presence of the government’s role in the life of the common people,” Rijiju said.