Border trouble fanned to divide tribals: Cong

SHILLONG, March 3: Leader of Opposition Ronnie V Lyngdoh on Sunday claimed that there is a sinister campaign to split the tribal population on the basis of religion if one were to consider the events unfolding in neighbouring Assam and the insecurity it has created in the bordering villages.
“There is a plot to split the tribal populace along religious lines,” Lyngdoh said while slamming Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s statement that Christian missionaries were using healthcare and education as a means to entice people to convert to Christianity which is a gross misrepresentation of the work that they are doing.
He accused the Assam CM of spreading hatred despite the Constitution permitting people to practise, profess, and propagate their faith.
Recalling that he studied in St Anthony’s High School and they had people from all faiths studying together and getting along very well, he said, “There was never an issue of conversion. I’m not sure why this campaign is still running. I believe that the targeting of people who practise a particular faith is being done solely to benefit a particular party’s electoral gains, even at the expense of undermining the nation’s social structure as a whole.”
“This is completely wrong, and the people of India should not fall prey to hate campaigns like these.” “Let us work for peace and let our nation be a shining example of how we can coexist peacefully and guarantee it to the rest of the world,” he continued.
Lyngdoh went on to say that this is a very risky political trend and that people should exercise caution to avoid becoming the targets of such nefarious campaigns.
During the recently concluded Budget session of the Assembly, UDP MLA from Nongpoh, Mayralborn Syiem had brought up a zero-hour notice regarding the growing fear and insecurity among border residents in the Marmain area of Ri-Bhoi, following a poster campaign targeting Christian missionary institutes by an Assamese radical group.
The Shillong All Faith Forum (SAFF) has also asked the Assam and Meghalaya governments to not just talk but take steps to offset any untoward incident along the interstate border.