Shillong, Aug 20: Voice of the People Party (VPP) President Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit today said that non-violent agitation is far more effective, as violent protests allow the government to hide behind law-and-order concerns and divert attention away from genuine public demands.
In a video statement on Thursday, Basaiawmoit said unrest breeds fear, invites condemnation and allows vested interests to tarnish both protesters and the state.
He was speaking a day after violence marred a rally taken out by the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) to put pressure on the state government to accede to certain demands.
The VPP chief commended the KSU leadership for showing political maturity by accepting constructive criticism and media feedback regarding the incident. He appeared to side with the KSU in blaming anti-social groups that exploited the public demonstration to disrupt public order. The pressure group had denied that its members were behind the violence, instead blaming outside elements for trying to hijack the protest.
Basawiamoit also slammed the state government for failing to provide adequate security during the protests. He further took aim at the commercial vehicle association of Assam, calling its reaction to recent developments in Meghalaya disproportionate.
As several Assam-registered vehicles were targetted in the violence, today vehicles with Meghalaya licence plates were barred from entering Assam, specifically the main route leading to Guwahati.
