SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) on Wednesday asked Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Home Minister James Sangma to step down from their respective posts due to their incompetence and immaturity in handling the recent situations in Meghalaya.
The MPYC accused both the chief minister and the Home minister of being immature, stating that they failed to handle the unrest in Shillong and instead, blacked out the internet citing fake news. “Where is the maturity of Home Minister James Sangma when he, despite having a sophisticated cyber crime cell at his disposal, ordered an internet blackout as the only solution?” the MPYC questioned.
The MPYC also questioned the internet blackout in the Garo Hills region in the ‘anticipation’ of trouble, asserting that there was no trouble in Garo Hills.
Students undergoing online admissions, people filling up exam forms, people whose work depend on use of internet, etc. have all been affected, the MPYC said, claiming that and people were unable to book their LPG cylinders due to the blackout of SMS services. The MPYC wondered if it was some nefarious plan by the present government which, instead of arresting the sources of the fake news, is curbing the right to free speech of the citizens by blacking out the internet because people have already begun to show their dissatisfaction with the present government in the social media platforms.
They also lambasted James Sangma, who is also the Power minister, for the electricity woes in Garo Hills. “The people of Garo Hills are enduring long hours without electricity and frequent power cuts all without any valid reasons. If the Power minister cannot even get this under control, what is the use of his chair?” they asked.
The MPYC warned of a non-violent protest against the present government for its inaction. It also appealed the people to refrain from spreading any news without proper verification and sought cooperation from the citizens in protesting against the curb on right to free speech by the
