GUWAHATI: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has urged the Centre to name a road in New Delhi after his father, the late PA Sangma.
Conrad, who met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday, said a road named after the former Lok Sabha Speaker would be a tribute to one of India’s tallest leaders and statesmen.
The 78th birth anniversary of PA Sangma, the founding leader of Meghalaya’s ruling National People’s Party, was celebrated recently.
Last April, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi renamed a stretch of Lala Lajpat Rai Marg in South Delhi as Bodofa Upendranath Brahma Marg to pay tribute to the legacy of the legendary Bodo leader.
Conrad also urged Shah to ensure the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Meghalaya for safeguarding the interests and identity of the people of the state.
An offshoot of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873, ILP is an official document issued to allow the inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period. It has been implemented in Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Various organisations and political parties in Meghalaya have been for long demanding the implementation of ILP to thwart the influx of illegal migrants.
Conrad also demanded the inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, saying that it would be a "step toward recognition and preservation of our indigenous languages."
He reiterated the demand for the creation of a separate All India Services cadre for Meghalaya, currently part of a joint cadre with Assam, to ensure better administrative autonomy.