Our Special Correspondent
TURA:
The border agreement inked between the Assam and Meghalaya governments cannot be final if the state government heeds the opposition raised by the people against the demarcation and seeks a review, said former chief minister and All India Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Sangma.
Mukul Sangma claimed that his government, if brought to power in next year’s assembly elections, will review the agreement.
“When we form the next government we will rectify this blunder done by the current MDA government headed by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma,” he said during a mega rally at Rongjeng town in East Garo Hills on Tuesday afternoon.
He said that for the border agreement to be quashed all that the state government requires to do is “not accept the agreement based on the demarcation undertaken”.
He cited the example of the two states redrawing boundary maps in 1971 which left out 12 disputed areas.
He narrated how a year before Meghalaya attained statehood, the Survey of India began redrawing the boundary of Assam and the new state in line with the North East Reorganisation Act of 1971.
“But the survey was flawed as it went deep inside Meghalaya setting off a chain of events leading to disputes. There were 12 contentious areas known as ‘areas of difference’ and the survey was not accepted in these areas. In the same way, if we refuse to accept their agreement then the deal cannot go through and get accepted,” he said claiming that the disputed places would remain as “areas of differences”.
“The power of democracy is that no government can suppress the rights of the people,” warned the former chief minister.
Mukul Sangma said that the Conrad Sangma government took up six disputed areas in the agreement in which almost the entire Garo-dominated areas were given away to the neighbouring state.
“Historically Mallangkona has been part of Meghalaya but 36 kms is being parted which is significant land being given away since 25,000 acres of tribal area is going to Assam which does not have the 6th Schedule to protect tribal lands,” he warned.
He said that a historical blunder was made in 1911-12 when Kamrup district was created and entire Garo-inhabited areas were made part of the new district.
“When Meghalaya attained statehood, the Garo areas that were tagged together with the United Khasi-Jaintia districts got included in Meghalaya while the Garo villages that were part of Kamrup went to Assam,” he said.
It is worth mentioning that there was immense anger among the Garos living in Assam and this was directed against the then APHLC leadership and Meghalaya’s first chief minister Captain Williamson A Sangma after the creation of the new state as they were left behind at the mercy of the then Assam government even though they had actively participated in the non-violent struggle for the creation of a new tribal state of Meghalaya as part of the Hill State Movement.
With the Trinamool going hammer and tongs at the Conrad K Sangma government in the state, it remains to be seen what response the current chief minister and his party will give to take on the former chief minister in his new avatar.