SHILLONG, March 31: The Opposition Congress has taken a critical view of the recent self-admission by Deputy CM, Prestone Tynsong of the NPP-led MDA Government that he was involved in assaulting non-tribals during 1979 riot.
“I strongly object to the comment of the senior Minister telling a crowd that he was involved in illegal activities during the communal tension in 1979. This is completely unacceptable,” Congress MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh stated here on Wednesday.
The former minister found Tynsong’s strange admission as “distasteful” even as she questioned how he could make such an “irresponsible statement” of his role during 1979.
“This public acknowledgement of being part of a crime is not good. It is not a positive thing to say at this point of time when the government is trying its best to contain crime and the reoccurrence of crime. I am of the view this is not right at this point of time,” the senior Congress leader said.
She further questioned what message was he trying to send to the public or was he trying to tell everyone that they should participate in crimes. “What kind of example we are showing to our youth,” Lyngdoh wondered.
The Congress leader however urged that there should be serious efforts put in by the government to contain these sporadic incidences of communal violence.
Earlier, Tynsong had stated he had beaten up many non-tribal people in 1979 but realised that loving one’s community does not mean harming others.
Recalling that he was a student of Mawkhar Christian School and 1979 was a violent and chaotic year of unrest, the Deputy Chief Minister said: “I had beaten up many non-tribal people during those years but I have realised it was not wise.”
He said he learned from experience that being violent was not the way to deal with problems when there are laws to deal with them.
Stating that the youth are full of emotions and often misled, Tynsong said there are many laws and regulations in place and the Assembly will try to implement more laws. “It is very important to understand that one cannot take law into one’s hands,” he said.