The Congress party which failed to attend yesterday’s meeting called by the State government to discuss the boundary issue has today alleged that the invitation sent by the Political Department was received yesterday after the meeting was over.
In a statement issued today, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ampareen Lyngdoh urged Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to review the meeting held yesterday and insert into the minutes of the meeting that the Congress did not receive necessary communication and hence were absent from these crucial talks.
Alleging that this is not the first time that the party has been sidelined in the decision-making process on this important agenda, Lyngdoh said, “Not very long ago, members of the Congress in the Regional Committee were not informed of a crucial meeting held at Langpih. The MLA and MDC of 33-Rambrai Jyrngam constituency gate crashed the talks and only received their invites a day after the meeting was over.”
“It is misleading to project to the people of Meghalaya that the Congress did not attend the important ‘border talks’ and we express our complete shock and disbelief that our government, once again failed to invite us to these decisive discussions,” she added.
Demanding for an inclusive dialogue at the earliest, prior to any decision taking on the matter, Lyngdoh said that the Congress has a clear opinion on the solution of this 50 years pending Meghalaya-Assam border subject and wanted the Chief Minister to also permit the party’s views to be placed before the border commission in a satisfactory manner over an appropriate table, “wherein our views shall be duly recorded as per procedure in such matters”.
Lyngdoh also said that all matters related to boundary talks should ensure that all stakeholders agree on a common approach, without politicising the subject.
“Further, as elected members to the Legislative Assembly it would be prudent to also initiate a similar dialogue and discussion at the level of the Chief Minister in the presence of the Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. We will be pursuing this matter with utmost dedication and sincerity,” she said while also demanding a reconvening of the all party meeting on the inter-state border issue.
