It is very sad to see that our poor farmers, made desperate and exhausted by the NPP government’s apathy to the border issue in Lapangap have to come and agitate near the secretariat in Shillong. Decades have passed but there are no sincere efforts on the part of successive governments of Meghalaya to take up the issue of harassment of our farmers and poor people by Assam police day in and day out affecting their livelihood who are always ready to work hard and toil to meet their ends.
It is not surprising that they have to bring their serious grievances to the corridor of power near the secretariat otherwise the NPP government seems to work on the premise of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Thanks to the KSU and other Jaintia Hills-based organizations to firmly stand behind these helpless farmers who are an integral part of our society.
The protection of their land and livelihood is the duties of the government otherwise their elected representative should resign. Why not restation the 3rd MLP Battalion from Sahbsein, West Jaintia Hills or CRPF camps from Shillong city to the border areas as a buffer between Assam and Meghalaya so that our farmers are able to work in their fields and go on with their lives. If the NPP government cannot do this, please provide all the families of the affected farmers with enough financial help on a monthly basis to sustain their lives.
The NPP government appears to be more focused and ready to spend crores of money in New Shillong township/Mawkhanu or other areas which are sparsely populated or yet to be populated and forgetting about the present large numbers of inhabitants of border areas like Lapangap.
Similar to the serious border issues, there are so many misplaced priorities of the NPP government, which I will point out some other day which clearly point towards the capitalist mindset of the NPP-led government rather than a socialist one. Under this government, the poor and defenceless have to fan for themselves while the ruling class appears to be intoxicated in power and are neck-deep in extravaganza. Welfare of a State cannot be measured by how many roads or buildings are made but rather by the social security that is provided to its people across nooks and corners of the State. While the NPP is busy in electioneering, its border inhabitants are suffering in the hands of aggression of the neighboring state of Assam and its police and Meghalaya government appears to be a mute spectator. These kinds of harassment and aggressions by Assam Police have never been tolerated by Nagaland or Mizoram governments for ages. Is the Meghalaya government under NPP highly compromised? Is our political class active only during the elections? We need a government in Meghalaya which prioritizes the needs of its people and stands solidly with them in the border areas who can see eye to eye with the aggressors/harassers.
Prof. Lakhon Kma
Lawsohtun, Block-3
Shillong
