By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 31: The Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) on Sunday condemned the state government’s decision to organise a grand concert at Williamnagar on Monday, coinciding with the birth anniversary of the late Purno Agitok Sangma.
“We wish to make it clear that the Youth Congress is not against the observance of the late PA Sangma’s birth anniversary. He was a towering leader of the nation and a source of pride for the people of Garo Hills,” MPYC president, Timjim K. Momin, said.
He said that the Youth Congress believes that such an occasion should be observed in a dignified and meaningful manner, not through lavish concerts that cost crores of rupees while the employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council remain unpaid for months.
Momin said that they are with the East Garo Hills NGOs and concerned citizens, who have expressed their displeasure against the proposed concert.
The MPYC president asserted that their concerns are genuine and justified, and the Youth Congress stands shoulder to shoulder with them in opposing this “insensitive” programme.
He said the money for concerts and celebrations could have been used to clear the pending salaries of the GHADC employees.
“Does extravagance hold greater importance than the survival and dignity of thousands of employees and their families?” Momin asked.
He said that the people of Garo Hills have already shown solidarity with the GHADC employees through peaceful protests and symbolic shutdowns. He lamented that the government, instead of responding with empathy, continues to indulge in unnecessary extravagance, exposing its insensitivity, financial irresponsibility, and misplaced priorities.
“It is often said by great statesmen that the nation comes first, then the party. But for the NPP, party and self-interest come before the people. By choosing concerts over salaries, they have once again shown that their priority is not governance, but political optics,” Momin said.
He reiterated that the birth anniversary of the late PA Sangma should be an occasion to honour his legacy with programmes that inspire, uplift, and address the needs of the people, not concerts that ignore their suffering.
Momin said that spending crores on entertainment while the GHADC employees starve is nothing but a betrayal of public trust and a grave injustice to the people.
“We stand in complete solidarity with the employees of the GHADC, the NGOs of East Garo Hills, and the people of Garo Hills, and will continue to raise our voice against such anti-people governance,” he added.
