UDP general secretary Jemino Mawthoh said that there is nothing wrong for the indigenous people to raise issues affecting them in order to safeguard their rights and interests.
Reacting to the recent ‘Taliban’ remark made by Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, Mawthoh said it was unacceptable and youth should not be painted the same, because in a democratic country there are people of all shades and colours.
People have the right to voice their concerns and there is nothing wrong for the indigenous people time and again to raise issues about safeguarding their rights and interest, he said.
“Is it wrong for our people to raise their voice against illegal infiltration, boundary dispute, etc?” There’s nothing wrong with that. Since all these issues have not been addressed in the right perspective, it is this reason that our people are agitated and this is a phenomenon everywhere not only in Meghalaya,” he added.
Mawthoh said that Meghalaya is a peace-loving state and people in other parts of the country who had stayed here will vouch. He said militancy in Meghalaya has subsided to a very large extent as many have come over ground and want peace talks.
The UDP general secretary expressed concern about inflammatory speech online. “Just because India is a democratic country, one cannot say whatever they like and if one goes beyond and out of bounds such persons should also be taken to task. After all, the reach of social media is widespread and its impact could be unimaginable,” Mawthoh said.
