The opposition Congress has demanded the setting up of a judicial inquiry into the issue of shifting settlers from Them ïew Mawlong here, a day after the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government decided to constitute a high level committee to find solution to the long pending issue.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of Congress Legislature Party here on Tuesday, leader of Opposition, Mukul Sangma also alleged that the present MDA government has failed to sustain peace in the state.
“The judicial inquiry will give you a very transparent and complete picture about the situation, and ways and means of handling it. Getting the whole issue resolved is what we mean business, and we want to give constructive suggestion for the larger good of the state,” he said.
“We (Congress government) did not only restore peace in the preceding years but managed to sustain peace until the installation of the present government. It is a sad thing that not even completing three months, they have (MDA) messed up everything. Today the name and fame of the state that we have built over the years and put the state among the top tourist destinations, has been adversely affected and this has derail the whole momentum of growth,” Mukul said.
Mukul said that the responsibility of the state government should be to maintain peace and handle such situation in a manner to achieve the objective of restoring peace.
On UDP leader Paul Lyngdoh’s comments that it was the failure of the Congress to solve the issue at Them ïew Mawlong in the past, Mukul took a jibe saying, “Paul Lyngdoh has gone out of circulation. He would like to attract and draw people’s attention because he is not in the reckon, and that’s his usual style.”
“The Congress has been privilege to have the opportunity to shoulder the responsibility of governance. Look at the challenges before the government in the past. How many contentious issues were identified and deliberated upon, and explored the possibility of resolving them one after another,” Mukul defended, while recalling how his government had dealt with various challenges that confronted the state including militancy and terrorism which brought hopelessness to the people.
On negative reporting about Meghalaya in a section of the national media in view of the situation, Mukul said, “The government of the day should really look at how media is carrying this story. But the government is also being proactive in making people from outside come and gives all kinds of statements.
I demand that they get all statements recorded and if there is any event of inflammatory statement given by those visiting people, the law must prevail. I see there is too much of intervention coming from MHA and multiple authorities is acting on it. In the whole narrative across the nation, the electronic media and print media are not spreading any good thing about the state. This clearly reflects the incompetence of the incumbent government.”
Slamming the government for allowing people from outside to visit the state in view of the present situation, Mukul sought to know whether the MHA or the chief minister office or office of the home minister office was calling the shot.
“This is a very dangerous trend and it demonstrates the whole lack of competence level of this government,” Mukul said.