Twenty five years ago the rail project to Byrnihat was stopped in its tracks without an informed debate. The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) made it a one-point political agenda at the time and those elected to rule the State capitulated and kept the project on hold. The public had no voice then. It has no voice now. The public of Meghalaya is used to being led, not by the people they elect but by sundry self proclaimed leaders. At one time the public invested their belief in the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC). Many just echoed the arguments of the HNLC and considered them freedom fighter and liberators. As long as the HNLC was extorting and killing non-tribals there was tacit support for it from the Khasi community. But later the HNLC started extorting from their own Khasi brethren and kidnapping and killing them. Then public support dwindled and the Government could come down heavily against the outfit. Many were forced to come over ground. Julius Dorphang, the HNLC mentor surrendered and is now considered some kind of absurd VIP who goes around heavily guarded by state security. But Dorphang continues to act in a high-handed manner. He is the mafia who expects all contracts in the State Government and in institutions like NEHU to go to him and his cohorts. Now people know the character of the HNLC supremo and many detest him. But we lost almost 12-15 years of development time while we reeled under militancy.
Meghalaya has also lost precious time just debating whether or not to have the railways. Twenty five years ago we came to know that the KSU supremo then was paid by the truckers’ lobby to protest against the railways. Do we know any different now? Can the people of Meghalaya continue to pay a heavy price for all essential commodities carried by trucks just because some group is wary about influx? Do illegal migrants come on trains? If they did, it would be easier to contain them. But they are coming from different routes and for different purposes. Sadly we have no mechanism to deal with that sort of influx. Why should the KSU remain intransigent about an issue they took up 25 years ago and not think differently now that the situation has reached breaking point for many who have sunk below the poverty line and are unable to procure their basic needs? How many in the KSU live lives of sordid poverty? Do they represent this constituency? Perhaps not! The other question is – should a students’ body be stalling positive development? And if the KSU wants to push an issue down people’s throats they can only do it after a state-wide public debate.