SHILLONG, May 12: Strange are the ways of political parties in Meghalaya, particularly those who are part of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance.
On more than one occasions, these political parties have been found to maintain double standards on issues concerning the welfare of the people and the state.
Take the case of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Meghalaya and Assam on March 29 to resolve the protracted border dispute in six of the 12 areas of dispute.
As protests erupted across the state, particularly in the affected interstate border areas, the political parties got down to business in an attempt to earn political mileage with an eye on the all-important Assembly elections in 2023.
Whether it was the UDP or the HSPDP or even the PDF and the BJP, all rose in unison and asked the state government to review/reconsider the MoU.
However, during the MDA coordination committee meeting, convened by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday, all the parties chose to maintain a stony silence on the very same demand they had made in public on numerous occasions.
The CM himself exposed the double standards of his coalition allies, saying that during the MDA coordination committee meeting none of the parties suggested the need to review the boundary agreement.
“Nobody said they want a review of the MoU,” Sangma told reporters after the meeting.
Though he admitted that the coalition partners expressed concern over the issue, he also made it amply clear that the government has given them clarification on the border issue and all concerns have been addressed.
Sangma further said that the idea of the meeting of the MDA was to bring leaders of the coalition partners together to discuss issues concerning the state.
The CM had, earlier, said there was no point revisiting the MoU as it will undermine the efforts of the two states to resolve the boundary disputes in six of the 12 areas.
All stakeholders, including the political allies, were consulted and the agreement was signed in the best interest of the people of the state, Sangma had stated.
