After initial protests, parties now okay with border MoU

SHILLONG, May 16: After initial opposition, the political parties in the state, particularly those in the ruling MDA, have accepted the border MoU, signed between Assam and Meghalaya governments, despite growing resentment among the border populace.
BJP state president, Ernest Mawrie said several parties had started raising questions after the MoU was signed but they maintained silence when Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma was speaking on the issue at the last MDA coordination committee meeting.
“There was only one request from all the political parties. Everyone requested the government to resolve the dispute in the remaining six locations at the earliest and the CM assured that the government would soon start the groundwork for the same,” Mawrie said.
Stating that no political party had asked the government to revisit the MoU, he said some leaders said some members of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council are contemplating on filing a petition in the Supreme Court to challenge the MoU.
On if he is satisfied with the MoU, Mawrie said the boundary dispute had been invariably taken up as an election issue but the MDA made an initiative to resolve it.
Incidentally, the BJP’s state unit had last month said it would highlight the resentment expressed by a section of border residents over the manner in which the MoU was signed.
Senior BJP leader and member of the party’s National Executive Committee, AL Hek had said the issue needs to be taken up with the Government of India as well as the party’s central leadership. “We are here to work for the people. Although we cannot make everyone happy, yet there needs to be a consensus by taking the stakeholders into consideration,” he had said.
On the statements made by the CMs of the two states that the MoU cannot be reviewed, Hek had said, “When we take up any issue, it cannot be without negotiation. We need to talk and discuss with the Syiem, Hima, Rangbah Shnong and border residents for an amicable settlement.”