The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has strongly condemned Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong’s statement on incorporating ‘ILP-like provisions’ in the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.
The Council described the remark as a calculated political diversion intended to weaken and delay Meghalaya’s long-standing demand for a full-fledged Inner Line Permit (ILP).
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the HYC said the people of the state could not be misled by vague terminology and legal ambiguities, asserting that “ILP-like” provisions were not equivalent to an ILP.
The Council said that any legislation which does not grant Meghalaya absolute authority to regulate the entry, stay, employment, trade and settlement of non-indigenous persons amounted to a betrayal of indigenous security.
“Diluted clauses embedded within a central Act will neither curb illegal influx nor prevent what demographic aggression,” it stated.
Expressing concern over what it called continued attempts to confuse the public, the HYC said such actions reflected a serious lack of political resolve.
“While illegal settlements have been expanding and land alienation accelerating, the stated government has been issuing statements instead of delivering concrete outcomes, a trend which is eroding public trust,” it added.