Meghalaya CM slams AITC for playing politics over border issue
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday asked the opposition All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) to refrain from playing politics on the border issue.
“I urge the opposition that these are not the issues that one should play politics with as people of the state have suffered too long,” Conrad told reporters.
His statement came as a strong reaction to the statement made by the Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma that the AITC will undo the border agreement signed between Meghalaya and Assam, if voted to power in 2023.
“It is very sad I should say that the AITC has made this statement because to be very frank when they were in power for 8 years, they didn’t do anything about it and now finally something has happened they just simply want to undo it because may be they were not part of the actual solution at that point in time I don’t why they are feeling this way. I think they should take it in a positive manner and be happy that we finally found a solution to a very complicated problem like this,” Conrad said.
He said the Leader of Opposition had mentioned proper surveys and different kinds of revenue maps but the maps and the reports were made by his government in 2011. Hence, if the revenue maps had to be seen then they should have been seen in 2011-2012.
He added that irrespective of the Congress government or NPP government, the point is that the government of Meghalaya in 2011 went through the revenue maps and submitted a report to Assam that there were 12 areas of differences.
“Now those same people are saying that you should go back to the revenue map. Aren’t you (Mukul) kind of negating your own work or your own stand? The work that you did the report that you put it now you are telling us why we accept those reports,” CM said adding “It is quite strange that the opposition leader made these kinds of allegations because if he is making allegations then he is making allegations against himself only because we were not there when the reports were made. Now he is asking us why we are accepting and why we work on the basis of the report that was submitted by him.”
Slamming the Leader of Opposition for trying to make the border agreement an election issue, Conrad said these are not the kinds of issues that one should look at and that the AITC should look at development issues and different issues concerning the people.
Meghalaya and Assam inked the border agreement for resolving six of the twelve areas of differences at New Delhi on March 29, in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The chief minister further claimed that the border agreement was based on the documents submitted by the then government of Meghalaya.
“…we work on that (2011) report and I am happy to tell you that 99% of those villages have come to Meghalaya. I think people should be happy and now we should ensure this process is completed in terms of the second phase as people of the state have suffered too long,” he said.
Stating that his government had tried its best to resolve the issue which has been pending for decades, Conrad said, “We are happy with the support of Government of India and government of Assam that we have been able to reach to this point.”
When enquired as to when the second phase of border talks for resolving the remaining six areas of difference will start between the two states, the chief minister said the flood situation is a priority for all at the moment.
“We are trying to see that we are able to provide relief to the people and bring back life to normalcy and Assam as you know is still badly affected and hence once the flood situation improves, we will definitely take the discussion forward,” he said.
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