Meghalaya’s founding fathers did the right thing in pushing for a separate state carved out of Assam even if the borders were not fixed at the time, ex-minister Bindo Lanong said today.
Even 50 years since Meghalaya was created the state still has unsolved border issues with Assam as the boundary is poorly demarcated in certain places.
“If you wait for the boundary to be identified first then perhaps we would not have gotten statehood,” Lanong told reporters. “How can you club the issue of boundaries with the issue of statehood?”
Thus, he was of the opinion that the founding fathers did the right thing by accepting statehood and tackling the border issue after that.
He further said that the boundary differences between Meghalaya and Assam should be solved on the basis of mutual understanding, goodwill and the situation as it stands on the ground because natural boundaries as they would have existed decades ago might have changed today.
“Some hills have been destroyed and wiped out, rivers formed or disappeared and everything has changed, so they should go on the basis of what it is today, see the papers, see the maps and consult,” he said, adding that the leaders of the two states should demonstrate leadership qualities and statesmanship to find an amicable solution.
