HILLONG: In defiance of the 36-hour bandh called by militant outfit HNLC, the Informed Conscious and Responsible Existence (ICARE) has decided to organize a public gathering at Khyndai Lad on Monday at 10 am.
The ICARE took the decision in its emergent general meeting held on Friday to discuss the ongoing ILP agitations and the bandh call by the proscribed HNLC.
The meeting resolved that the frequent and prolonged bandhs or public curfews, aside from being illegal, are for an underdeveloped state like Meghalaya, anti people and anti poor. “They tend to do more harm than good for the very people they profess to champion,” ICARE president Toki Blah said.
He stated that the 36-hour bandh call given by the HNLC appears to overlook the fact that it is in fact a 48-hour bandh taking into consideration that October 20 is a Sunday and it also overlooks the reality that there are thousands of daily wage earners who live on a hand to mouth basis and who could ill afford three continuous wage less days.
According to ICARE, families of such poor, especially small innocent children, might even be denied their daily sustenance and healthcare that salaried folks take for granted. No cause, whoever noble, can justify such injustice to the poor, the marginalised and the voiceless, Blah stated.
“Citizens have also expressed their disgust at both the adamant attitude of the agitating NGOs as well as the nonchalant attitude of the Government and the common citizen has been held hostage to this ego-ridden standoff,” Blah said.
He pointed out that the ‘take it or leave it’ offer in the form of the Tenancy Act to counter the ILP demand, reflects very poorly on the seriousness of the Government to resolve the influx issue.
The public gathering will enable concerned citizens to express their views on the two controversial aspects, Blah said, while inviting the citizens to participate in the public gathering to give voice to the real issues affecting the people.