The Budget session of the Meghalaya Assembly has begun and the Opposition comprising the VPP, TMC and Congress have sharpened their knives to put the MDA Government on the defensive. Unfortunately the Opposition uses the same old strategies of raising issues such as the illegal influx, unemployment, revenue leakage et al without having done adequate homework. This will result in a war of words where the ruling party will fight back and explain away all the points raised by their rivals. The problem with the Opposition is that they don’t sit to discuss issues that matter to the people and agree to make common cause because the VPP, TMC, and Congress see each other as rivals and don’t see eye to eye on issues.
What would have put the MDA Government on the backfoot is if the Opposition had done serious research on issues that hurt the people during all these months and years and come up with evidence-based studies. If there is unemployment and this is not a new thing that afflicts only the MDA Government, but has been a persistent issue in Meghalaya, the Opposition could have written to the Government and given it a list of recommendations on which sectors to create employment in. Concurrently the Government too could have used the State Planning Board and its plethora of verticals created under the Meghalaya Basin Management Authority (MBMA) to help provide a roadmap for employment generation even while verticals under the Agency such as PRIME have created some successful entrepreneurs. True that not all the youth are cut out to become entrepreneurs and there is need to create employment in other sectors but this requires intensive deliberations and in this the Opposition too should be involved. After all that would be in the larger interests of the youth of this State. Another issue that the Opposition would be raising is illegal influx. With Bangladesh currently on the boil this is a serious matter and illegal migration is taking place because large stretches of the Bangladesh-Meghalaya border is unfenced. Unless a thorough study is conducted to arrive at some figure about the number of people illegally settled in Meghalaya this will remain only an allegation that will be forgotten once the Assembly session is over.
The Opposition has also listed revenue leakage as an issue. This too requires in-depth study so that the Opposition can point out exactly where the revenue is leaking; why it is leaking and how that leak can be plugged. Since April 2014 after coal mining was banned by the NGT the State has lost revenue amounting to over 600-700 crores annually. The coal trade has gone underground thereby depriving the state of its legitimate revenue. However, revenue leakage seems to occur even with limestone and boulders exported to Bangladesh. These are areas of concern and the MDA Government needs to give clear answers to acquit itself on this issue. The Opposition has also pointed out to the sense of hopelessness among the youth. This sense of futility could be due to several reasons. Research on this too is imperative. The Opposition today can no longer take its role for granted. It has to demonstrate more professionalism.
