Paul, Ardent, Jemino refute U-turn slur
SHILLONG: Three former NGO leaders-turned-politicians have questioned the validity of Rangad Committee, which had recommended several measures other than implementation of ILP to check influx of illegal migrants.
Paul Lyngdoh and Jemino Mawthoh (both UDP), Ardent Basaiawmoit, (HSPDP), who were part of the Rangad Committee, said that they were not signatories to the report of the Committee.
Reacting to a news report that appeared in The Shillong Times on Monday, Lyngdoh, who is a former president of KSU, said, “The report of the Committee was never referred back to us for further meeting and approval.
Though our names were mentioned in the report we were not signatories to it and then there is no question of making a U-turn on ILP”.
According to him, the report, hurriedly written by the then Secretary of the Committee GP Wahlang, was sent it to Government without the endorsement of NGO leaders, who were never against ILP.
Basaiawmoit, who is a former president of FKJGP, said the Federation was never part of the team under the Working Group Committee of Rangad which had gone to Mizoram and Sikkim to study the implications of ILP.
“At no point of time we have rejected implementation of ILP and moreover I have not signed in the repot of the Rangad committee,” Basaiawmoit said, adding that to say that he did a U-turn is baseless and unfounded.
According to him, though the Committee made recommendations as per its report, those recommendations were never implemented by Government.
He said Government was not serious in addressing the issue of influx.
“We took the intention of the then Government in good faith on a plea that it would implement several measures to check influx. But 12 years have passed, no measure has been taken by Government”, he added.
Another UDP legislator Jemino Mawthoh said as the then president of SSSS, he was not against implementation of ILP.
“What is strange is that till date Government failed to implement various recommendations of the Rangad Committee,” he added.