‘Already many youth have gone and joined armed groups and completed their training as well. Yes, it’s a matter of concern. There is no visible response from the government to counter this’
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 21: Meghalaya faces the risk of sliding back into the dark days of insurgency, with Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma warning that several qualified youth have already joined rebel groups and completed training.
Blaming the government’s indifference for fuelling frustration among the educated unemployed, Sangma on Thursday said the silence in the face of such alarming inputs could trigger a resurgence of militancy in the state.
“If they say they don’t know, then it is their failure or their usual denial mode, but the reality is all alarming. Inputs indicate that many qualified youth with professional degrees, out of frustration and anger, have resorted to rebellion,” Sangma cautioned.
The former chief minister, who was instrumental in dismantling militancy in the state during his tenure, said the current government has failed to recognise the seriousness of the situation.
Asked if this pointed to the possibility of a renewed insurgency, he replied, “Already many youth have gone and joined armed groups and completed their training as well. Yes, it’s a matter of concern. There is no visible response from the government to counter this.”
He warned that the continuing “insensitivity with impunity” by those in power does not bode well for Meghalaya. Unless proactive measures are taken to address unemployment, frustration will only translate into anger and ultimately rebellion, he said. “This must be prevented. This can happen only when you create opportunities,” he asserted.
Drawing parallels with past instances where militancy grew out of neglect, and referring to the recent raising of its flag by the proscribed HNLC, Sangma said sporadic cases today must not be dismissed as non-alarming.
“Our approach has to be proactive. We should know the fallout of any form of governance,” he said, accusing the government of surviving on “rhetoric, manipulation and defection” while ignoring sensitive issues.
Speaking at length on parental aspirations, he underlined how families across rural Meghalaya now prioritise education for their children, investing whatever little they earn from farming into schooling and professional courses.
“Today you will see in the villages a huge pool of educated young men and women. Despite difficulties they have completed higher education, and everyone has aspirations because they were meant to dream big,” he said.
But these dreams, he argued, are collapsing under the weight of unemployment. “When we generate hope, people start dreaming. But when they fail to accomplish, frustration comes. After frustration comes anger, after anger rebellion. This is how the cycle moves,” Sangma explained.
He recalled how peace was restored during his tenure through collective effort but said the present government is ignoring the alarm bells.
“Now if these bells do not reach, or even if they reach deaf ears, then these alarm bells don’t have impact,” he said.
Sangma added that the government cannot feign ignorance of the threat. “I know since I have inputs. The government has a robust mechanism to have all these inputs. We have run the government. I was privileged to be chief minister during difficult times. So we created a system under the command of the government to receive such inputs daily. Therefore, the government should be expected to know what is happening. I am certain they are aware,” he concluded.