From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, July 1: The newly-elected VPP MP from Shillong constituency, Ricky AJ Syngkon in his maiden speech in the Lok Sabha demanded that Khasi language should be included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution since it is a rich dialect with an old history.
“I want the day to come when you will all hear me speaking in my Khasi language in this august House,” an emotional Ricky said. “I am sure that the day when I speak in my indigenous language will come soon,” he said in a late-night speech.
The MP expressed his dismay over the address of the President, saying it does not contain any long-term vision for the country. He urged the Prime Minister to take the lead for peace and development in the Northeast. “The people of Meghalaya living in the border areas of Assam and Bangladesh are not living in peace since they have been deprived of their livelihood due to the long-pending border disputes,” Ricky said.
Ricky lamented about lack of connectivity for Meghalaya to promote its vast tourism potential. “Shillong has an airport but big planes cannot land in this airport,” he pointed out and urged the government to expand and modernise it.
Syngkon said his party rode to power like a wave on the planks of good governance, secularism and pluralism. “We were a nascent party born a few years ago and had no money, but we fought and won the Lok Sabha seat,” he said.
Speaking on the current examination controversy, he said that it pains him when he sees children in his state end their career simply because they cannot go to centres located in faraway places. The state should have more examination centres for the benefit of the students, he demanded.