SHILLONG, Sep 23: Several of the demands raised by the eight rebel United Democratic Party (UDP) MLAs who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today are “doable”, Alexander Laloo Hek, one of only two MLAs the saffron party had in the state before today, has said.
The defectors want the inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, amendment to the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) to check influx, easing coal mining rules and the relocation of the Harijan Colony from Them Iew Mawlong.
Hek said the people would ultimately judge which political party had delivered on issues such as the Harijan Colony.
Asked whether the BJP could now claim ownership of issues that had traditionally been associated with the National People’s Party (NPP), Hek said the people would assess the work themselves.
On the Harijan Colony issue, Hek said the matter had been discussed for years and suggested that government departments should take responsibility for accommodating their employees currently residing in the colony.
“When I was Health Minister, I said give me all the staff of the Health Department staying in the Harijan Colony. I will accommodate them in the DHS complex,” he said, adding that other government departments should similarly take responsibility for their own employees living in the colony.
At the same time, he said places of worship in the area should not be affected by any relocation exercise.
On whether the BJP would ensure that the demands linked to the eight MLAs’ decision to leave the UDP are fulfilled, Hek said several of the demands could be implemented, such as the MRSSA, inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages and measures related to reducing coal mining.
“These are possible. There are a few demands that are doable. It is easy to grant their demands,” he said.
