NONGPOH:
The resentment against the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Meghalaya and Assam to resolve the border dispute has refused to die out in Ri Bhoi and on May 6, the Bakhlapara village under Hima Nongspung in the district witnessed burning of effigies of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong during a public meeting held to protest against the border pact.
Convened by the Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), the meeting was attended by the traditional chief of Hima Jirang, Hima Nongspung and local headmen along with the residents where they have strongly opposed the MOU and demanded a review the agreement signed between the two states.
Addressing the gathering, HYC chief Robert Kharjarin said that the government didn’t respect the views of the traditional chiefs of the area and signed the MoU “blindly”.
“The traditional chiefs of Raid, Hima, and landowners should not have been neglected on this boundary settlement as they know better about their own jurisdiction. We denounce the MoU. The government should have considered the fact that land holding system in Meghalaya is quietly different with Assam,” said Kharjarin.
The protesters also raised their voices of resentment against the regional committee saying that its report didn’t take historical facts and land documents into consideration before formulating and thereafter submitting the report.
During the meeting, the protesters burned effigies of the chief minister and his deputy, accusing them of signing the MoU in haste to gain political milage. The HYC also reiterated that it will not accept the MoU under any circumstances and stressed on its demand for its review.