Following the signing of an agreement by the two states of Northeast, Assam and Meghalaya to resolve a long-standing border conflict. Oppositions and pressure groups expressed their discontent with the agreement’s signing without the indigenous people’s consent. The All India Trinamool Congress stated on Tuesday that the Assam and Meghalaya governments’ “historical accord” on the interstate line will be disastrous for Meghalaya.
The deal, which was signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is “dangerous, insensitive, and dismissive to the concerns” expressed by political parties and local residents, according to the statement.
AITC chief Mukul Sangma went on to say that the agreement is dangerous, inconsiderate, and completely disregards the concerns of the people and the state.
Sangma recalls advising the administration to investigate all aspects of the disagreement during the Assembly’s budget session. “We don’t know how they resolved yet. “They haven’t been transparent, calling an all-party meeting only after signing a memorandum of agreement,” he added.
There is no clarity on the parameters considered for demarcating the interstate line in the disputed areas, even after the formal agreement in New Delhi, he added.
He chastised the administration for ignoring stakeholders’ and political parties’ concerns.
Charles Pyngrope, the state AITC president, stated that his party had requested a re-examination of the entire process of resolving the boundary dispute prior to the signing of the MoU.
“I believe the government should not have rushed to sign the agreement because of the negative impact it is likely to have on border residents,” he said.
The finalisation of the border pact between Meghalaya and Assam has enraged pressure groups in the state, who have reiterated their opposition to the give-and-take policy, while stating that a final decision on the MoU should have been made after obtaining the consent of the Hima, Raid, district councils, land owners, and people living along the border areas.
Lambokstar Marngar, the president of the KSU, recalled that the state government had invited them twice to address the border issue but had never given copies of the reports submitted to the government by the three regional committees.
The KSU president emphasized that they were opposed to a give-and-take approach because Meghalaya had never encroached into Assam , and it was Assam that had repeatedly broken the status quo.
