By Risador M Makri
Let’s be clear. There is a real issue here, and it’s not street vending. It’s the way people twist it to suit their political fixations and fragile egos. Lyzander Sohkhlet’s Op-ed “When Defiance becomes Dishonesty: Standing with Law; Not Lawlessness”, defends the right of all Shillong residents, not just a select few, to safety, order and dignity. He stood by the government’s planned and law-backed relocation of street vendors, a process that has taken place with consultations, compensation and consent. Two hundred forty-eight vendors have agreed to move. Four hundred stalls have been created. Financial support has been offered. Yet, a handful of voices refuse to accept this reality. Now, instead of engaging with the facts, this anonymous writer, hiding behind poetic rage and a Marxist halo launches personal attacks like the op ed piece titled “The Facade of Humility and the Reality of Resistance” By RJR-A “youth citizen of Shillong” Dated July 7, 2025. They accuse Lyzander of “wearing a costume,” saying he lacks empathy. Funny how “the system” is only corrupt when it doesn’t align with their ideology. They are cowards who hurl personal attacks from the safety of the shadows, too afraid to sign their names but bold enough to slander those who do. They don’t engage in his argument, they attack his character. They don’t debate the law, they question his humanity. Why? Because he doesn’t chant the same slogans. Because he doesn’t wear the same red scarf. Apparently, if you are not a communist, you are not compassionate. That’s not activism. That’s ideological blackmail. Let’s talk about what’s really going on. The only people resisting the relocation are not the majority of hawkers. Its members of a few organisations and individuals with other interests, people who need a constant crisis to stay relevant. If the system works, they become invisible. So they fight, not for the poor, but for their own spotlight. Now to the bigger question: why are the majority of these street vendors non-tribals? And why are Khasi Marxist human rights advocates so invested in defending them? Let’s not pretend this isn’t an elephant in the room. The majority of hawkers in Khyndai Lad and Laitumkhrah are not indigenous Khasis. They are from other states, often better networked, better organised, and quicker to occupy public space. The MGSPHSVA and its supporters, who claim to speak for justice, do not ask this question. Who are they fighting for? And at what cost? Ask yourself this: If the MUDA stalls were truly cages and “death sentences,” why have nearly 250 hawkers already moved there willingly? Why did their associations participate in meetings for a year? Why take the government’s relocation allowance if you believe it’s evil?
Because they don’t believe that. The majority understand something the critics don’t, that order is not oppression, and structure is not brutality. The “concerned youth” romanticizes the idea of mess, of “chaos” as culture. But real people, mothers, children, shopkeepers, differently-abled pedestrians, don’t walk on poetry. They walk on pavements. And those pavements are being blocked. Illegally. Dangerously. The anonymous ‘empathic’ citizen says, “parked cars don’t feed families.” True. But parked cars don’t attack government officials with machetes either. They don’t shout at officers doing their jobs. They don’t harass visually impaired citizens. These are not imaginary incidents. They happened. And we must have the courage to name them. There is a way to resist, and there is a line. When resistance crosses into intimidation, the State must step in. The State is not perfect. But in this case, it has shown more patience and process than most of us expected. It has offered structure, space, and support. That’s more than many struggling groups in India ever get. They try to paint the picture that parked cars and illegal stalls are different. Both obstruct space. Both endanger lives. One gets towed, the other throws stones. The hypocrisy is staggering.
And let’s not ignore the irony, this self-appointed savior of the poor writes entire articles anonymously. If your convictions are so strong, if your moral compass is so unshakeable, then why hide? If you dare to challenge someone by name, have the courage to sign yours. Lyzander stood up in public. You cowered in the shadows. We all know who the elephant in the room is, the one pulling strings behind this anonymous attack, and exactly which vested group they belong to. Let there be no confusion. The so-called “youths” behind that op-ed do not speak for us. The real youths of Shillong stand firmly against illegal hawker encroachment and in full support of the Government of Meghalaya’s lawful and necessary relocation efforts
This is the truth: Lyzander, in his article, never framed the poor as problems. He framed unregulated vending as a problem that must be addressed, and he did so with respect for those who vend legally, those who follow the law, and those who seek a better life through honest means. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Disagree with his argument? Fair. Attack his ideology? Go ahead. But don’t pretend your rage is righteousness when all it does is silence a different voice. We have enough people talking about uplifting the poor, maybe it’s time we listened to those trying to lift the system too.
Lakhs of people support the government’s decision to relocate street vendors lawfully and safely, are they all to be dismissed as government agents? Or is it simply that the silent majority, the students, the elderly, the differently abled, the daily commuters, and the law-abiding resident, are tired of footpaths being held hostage? To paint every voice of support as state propaganda is not only lazy, it is insulting. It erases the real, lived experiences of thousands who are affected daily. It also conveniently ignores that a majority of vendors themselves have agreed to the relocation, with dignity, dialogue and compensation. Support for order is not oppression. Believing in law is not authoritarianism. And disagreement with Marxist sloganeering does not make one a villain. It just makes them one among the many who are no longer afraid to speak up. Because Marxist dogma dressed as moral superiority hasn’t saved anyone. It has only dragged people back into the same trench of victimhood. Enough.
