SHILLONG, April 4: Asserting that the government had done nothing contrary to the cause of the state and its people, PHE Minister Renikton L Tongkhar on Monday said he was ready to stake his political future to ensure that the state gets its own boundary after 50 years of statehood.
“Personally, I am not afraid about the political fallout of the boundary agreement. I feel that it is worth the sacrifice since we know what we are doing is right,” Tongkhar said while reacting to the opposition to the MoU signed by the two state governments to resolve the dispute in six of the 12 contested areas.
“There is a possibility that some of the MLAs might lose the election because of the boundary issue. But I know we will be creating history if we are able to ensure that Meghalaya gets its own boundary. It is worth taking this risk since none of the governments in the past 50 years has attempted to settle the boundary disputes,” said Tongkhar who headed the West Khasi Hills regional border committee.
He asserted that the government should have the courage to go ahead without thinking too much about the political ramifications.
The minister also questioned the argument of a section of people who have claimed that the stakeholders including Himas and landowners were not consulted before finalising the MoU.
“There was a joint inspection of the border villages. There was even a public hearing. The settlement was mainly based on the willingness of the people staying in those villages,” Tongkhar said, while adding that the stakeholders including the Himas were members of the committee at the district level.
Asked about the remaining six “more complicated” areas, Tongkhar said, “Chief Minister Conrad Sangma will take a call on this. We have to meet and decide on the next phase of negotiations. But I feel that it also depends on how people react to the settlement in the first six areas.”
He recalled that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had stressed that the exercise should be completed within six months.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong denied allegations that the regional committee headed by him had not done its job properly, saying that those opposing the MoU should look into the spirit of understanding between both the governments.
Asserting that people are misled some time, he added that a graveyard covering 8 acres of land in Maikhuli was used by the people of Meghalaya previously but the area was claimed by Assam and people of Meghalaya did not used it.
“If you are concerned about a fish pond which is not even 25,000 square feet, how will we resolve the problem,” he said while making it clear that if both states do not resolve this dispute now, the problem will remain unsolved for the next 50 years.
Referring to the recent incident at Jatalong village, Tynsong said the dispute was the outcome of a personal matter. He asked the pressure groups to refrain from turning petty personal issues into public matter.
Tynsong also pointed out that there was no dispute or difference between Assam and Meghalaya in Block-I and Block-II areas and it is just a question of retransferring the area back to Meghalaya.
Admitting that the second phase of negotiations between Assam and Meghalaya will be tough test for the government, Tynsong said if people of both the states respect the decisions taken by the two neighbouring states, there is every possibility that the challenges would be overcome.a
