Shillong: The Synjuk Nongsynshar Shnong Bri Hynniewtrep (SNSBH) has rejected outright the request of Phrang Roy, President, North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS) to postpone by a few days their deadline for storming the Secretariat to pursue their demands. Speaking to this reporter, Roy said he had approached the Chairman SNSBH, Dr W Kharshiing requesting him to persuade his colleagues to postpone the agitation since the Indigenous Terra Madre, an international event which has brought about 600 people from 58 different countries to Meghalaya, is going on at NEHU and any disruption to this event would be unfortunate and would create a negative image for Meghalaya and for NESFAS. But Kharshiing refused to oblige.
This has provoked several people to comment that the SNSBH is hell bent on embarrassing the State Chief Minister and his Government.
But apart from that if an international event is chosen as a tool to put pressure on the Government, many feel that it is inappropriate. “We look to the Rangbah Shnong to bring harmony and govern (ban pyniaid shnong), not to create disharmony and protests (ym ban pynkhih shnong).”
One person who did not wish to be named said, “What about those Rangbah Shnong and executive members who are also Government employees? Will they also storm the Secretariat? Who do they owe their allegiance to?
A school teacher speaking to this reporter said, “The annual Nongkrem Dance Festival is scheduled for Wednesday (November 4) and concludes on Friday (November 6) and the festive spirit continues for a couple of days but it seems that the Rangbah Shnong have lost their respect for this festive occasion too.”
