Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has ruled out any idea of altering the deal that concluded the first phase of negotiations with Assam over the disputed border.
The agreement was signed in March, to great frustration, anger and feeling of betrayal by many residents who wished to be part of Meghalaya but have now found their villages at the mercy of Assam.
Yesterday in Shillong, residents of these border villages back by pressure groups launched a massive demonstration in the heart of the state capital.
Today, Sangma met the leaders of these pressure groups to try and get them to see the government’s side. The government would love to put the first phase controversy to bed in order for it to be able to go ahead with the talks for the second phase, which began in Guwahati on Sunday.
As he has done in the past, the CM blamed the previous Congress-led government for supposedly not including the concerned villages in a 2011 list of villages officially claimed by Meghalaya.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sangma said he had listened to the concerns of the pressure groups and assured them that he would do what he can but reiterated that, though frustrating for him, his government had to go along with the 2011 report as a basis for the talks.
“It was a huge challenge but we had to move forward with the 2011 report. They (the NGOs) have understood just now but concerns on the people’s will still exist. People desire to be in Meghalaya and they would like to see if some steps can be taken to work on those areas,” the CM said.
The pressure groups, however, were less than satisfied, with the Federation of Khasi, Jaiñtia and Garo People (FKJGP) saying that they will continue to pursue the inclusion of these villages in Meghalaya. There should be no problem in getting them back as Assam never claimed them in the first place, it claimed.
The Khasi Students Union (KSU) said that the government should take historical facts, ethnicity and the views of the autonomous district councils and other stakeholders into consideration when proceeding with the border discussions.
“We can see at the moment there is so much of agitation and resentment. The CM did explain to us how and on what basis the decision was made,” a KSU leader siad. “But Assam and Meghalaya are in India. So I believe there is a way to work this out and we leave it to the wisdom of the government how to solve this.”
