SHILLONG, July 31: The Congress feared that the give and take policy, suggested by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to resolve the interstate border dispute, might cost Meghalaya dear.
“As regards the give and take policy, we are afraid that Meghalaya will lose more land and gain nothing,” Congress MLA, Mayralborn Syiem who has been vocal on the issue, said on Saturday.
He asked the state government to be cautious lest it falls into Assam’s trap.
Syiem said there were resolutions on status quo after each of the 22 past CM-level talks on the border but only Meghalaya is maintaining it.
Appreciating the first step taken by both CMs to resolve the issue by going beyond status quo, he said, “It is a positive step and we would like to see that this really happens.”
The disputed border has a deep historical background, the Congress MLA said and insisted on proper consultations with all stakeholders before going for any official resolution in order to avoid unwanted circumstances.
On Assam’s claims of encroachment in 53 places by Meghalaya, Syiem said, “We regret that as many as 114 attempts of encroachment were made by Assam from 2009 to 2021. So, the statement by Assam is totally unacceptable.”
He stressed on serious dialogues and consultations to keep the spirit of Northeast alive.
Recently, Syiem had asked the state government to convene a special session of the Assembly to discuss the border issue after the Assam Police had on July 25 forcibly removed electric poles erected by Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited at Iongkhuli.
The Congress MLA had said the special session will be of utmost importance in the light of Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma’s August 6 meeting with his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma to discuss the border issue.
Mukul advocates strong political will
Opposition leader, Mukul Sangma said only a strong political will can help resolve the border problem.
“A strong political will is the only recipe which can bring solution to the problem. This has to come from both states,” Sangma told journalists on Saturday.
He said all political
parties must be involved in resolving the dispute. If that is not done, one party will stress on resolving it while other parties will play to the gallery, he said.
The former Chief Minister, who too took part in the CM-level talks with Assam twice, said the government must take everybody on board and make sure the terms and conditions are acceptable to both states.
“That is the only way. There is no other way to resolve the dispute,” he said.
The Opposition leader recalled that during the land swap deal between India and Bangladesh, some states, including Assam, had faced problems but Meghalaya had not as the then government took every stakeholder into confidence.
