SHILLONG, Aug 19: NPP leader and Cabinet Minister, James Sangma on Thursday All India Congress Committee spokesperson, Randeep Singh Surjewala for his critical statements on the law and order situation in Meghalaya and for referring to the youth of the state as terrorists/militants.
“We don’t need Randeep Singh Surjewala or any other leader from the Congress to pass judgment on state. Our people are aware of who we are,” Sangma said.
NPP spokesperson Marcuise Marak also slammed the statement of the Congress spokesperson where he blatantly used the term ‘terrorists’ to refer to Meghalaya and its youth, terming it as despicable.
“It goes to show that the Congress has no understanding of the implications of such damaging statements and explains why it is increasingly becoming a party with no principles, making uninformed statements based on one video clip.
“At a time when the NPP-led MDA government is working along with the people to restore peace in the state, it is unfortunate to see that the Congress leaders are fishing in troubled waters by maligning the image of Meghalaya in front of the entire country,” Marak said in a statement.
“The incidents that took place in the last few days were very unfortunate and we look forward to the findings of the judicial inquiry so that required steps can be taken against those who acted against the public. As responsible members of society, the Congress should have exercised restraint and displayed sensitivity in describing the situation in Meghalaya, instead of passing uninformed judgments,” he said.
“On behalf of the NPP, we stand with our people and highly condemn this shameful disinformation-spreading act of Surjewala and the Congress, which have hurt the sentiments of our people and of the state,” Marak added.
BJP National Council member Bashailang Khongwir has accused the Congress of making an attempt to gain political points by aggravating an already sensitive situation in the state.
“State Congress leader Mukul Sangma should have worked together with the Government in this time of crisis as a responsible opposition instead of trying to destabilise the government,” he said.
Condemning the statement of AICC spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, he said, “This statement from a senior Congress leader is adding fuel to the fire by provoking the already agitated local youths.”
“The Congress leader should have done their homework before making such remarks. Militancy in the Northeast was at its peak during the Congress regime but they did nothing to resolve HNLC issue,” he added.
Surjewala’s opinion distorted: Mukul
Congress leader Mukul Sangma on Thursday clarified that party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala’s statement comparing the recent Meghalaya situation with Taliban extremists on the streets of Kabul was twisted out of context.
“If one takes out just a portion of that (Surjewala’s press briefing) and interprets it, then the entire statement is distorted,” he said.
Pointing out that the Congress spokesperson was referring to the visuals of the snatched police vehicle being driven on the streets by unidentified youth, Sangma said: “Obviously, this will generate a different perception outside the state. How will people from outside the NE perceive the visuals?”
The former Chief Minister said Surjewala was describing the Shillong scene on Independence Day and asking the Centre what it was doing with the unrest under its own NDA government in Meghalaya.
“He also tried to draw the attention of the Centre on other parts of the northeast such as the Assam-Mizoram border,” Dr Sangma said.
He said the Northeast has under the NDA rule descended into chaos because of pieces of legislation such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and policies such as restricting the movement of cattle. “Those running the government fail to understand that diversity is our strength,” he lamented.
Defending Surjewala, Dr Sangma said visuals of masked youth driving a seized police vehicle create a negative perception about Meghalaya.
“We hope there is no trigger for such incidents to happen in Meghalaya again. We need to introspect on where we have gone wrong,” he added.
