Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong has called for social media users to refrain from spreading rumours or making incendiary remarks as he preached peace between tribal and non-tribal alike.
“From the government side I would like to request all concerned to please not add fuel to this issue because we live together, we grow together in Meghalaya, we are one. Don’t say we are non-tribal or we are tribal. We are one as brothers and sisters,” Tynsong told reporters today.
He also said that he failed to understand why the Bholaganj Three had to meet with Governor Satya Pal Malik earlier this month and allege persecution of Hindus in Meghalaya. It was these claims that led to a spiral of hate-filled messages on social media as well as protests inside and out of Meghalaya. Instead, they could have come to the state government or other local authority if they had a genuine grievance.
Tynsong was apprehensive that the three – Prantush Sarkar, Mridul Das and Binayak Roy – may have the intention to malign the image of Meghalaya and its government.
“The MDA (Meghalaya Democratic Alliance) government is all out for everybody, for tribal and non-tribal. We keep saying that we treat them as our brothers and our sisters,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.