A compilation of letters written by Dr P B M Basaiawmoit in the past five years to Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, including US President, Donald J Trump in the form of a book was released in Shillong on Saturday.
The book which contains 112 pages, was released at the PCI Conference Hall by Rev G S Lyttan, senior administration secretary, according to reports.
Basaiawmoit had written letters to Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Union Ministers, Lok Sabha Speaker, Rajya Sabha Chairman, Chief Election Commissioner, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Ministry including the President of US, Donald J Trump in the past five years from 2014 to 2019.
These letters cover a lot of topics and issues including religious tolerance and secularism, persecution of Christians, amendments to the Sixth Schedule, FCRA, AFSPA, banning of nuclear weapons, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, CAG report for the financial year 2015-16, draft National Forest Policy, EVMs, request not to empower Assam Rifles with many sections of CrPC etc.
Basaiawmoit is a clergy and a politician. In the mid-1980s, he was the chairman of the KJP Synod Jingiaseng Samla and as president of the Heritage, Environment and Status Protection Organisation (Hespo), he led campaigns against uranium mining in Domiasiat in Meghalaya.
He has served as convenor of the Khasi Jaintia Environment Protection Council. In 2013 he served as vice president of the National Council of Churches in India.
He contested the Shillong Lok Sabha seat in the 2009 as a candidate of the Hill State People’s Democratic Party. He finished in third place with 97,613 votes.
He also contested in the 2014 general election as the candidate of the Common People’s Front in the Shillong seat. His candidature was supported by the HSPDP and the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM), as well as some independent members of the Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya.
Ahead of the election he presented a 15-point manifesto, which included opposition to anti-conversion laws, creating smaller states, repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts, demanding extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India to all the tribal areas across the country, advocacy for rights for Christian Dalits, review of RTE Act, reform of legislation on foreign funding for NGOs, review of the Look East Policy, right to informed consent of local populations prior to launching natural resource projects and introduction of the right to recall elected officials. However, he lost the seat to Vincent Pala of the Indian National Congress.