Shillong, Aug 19: The National People’s Party (NPP) has criticised, the statement of Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, terming the youths of Meghalaya as ‘terrorists’ and ‘Taliban’.
The NPP said that the statement is highly despicable.
“The Congress has no understanding of the implications of such damaging statements and explains why it is increasingly becoming a party with no principles, making uninformed statements based on one video clip,” the NPP said.
NPP spokesperson, Marcuise N. Marak said that when the MDA government is working along with the people to restore peace in the state, it is unfortunate to see that the Congress leaders are fishing in troubled waters by branding the youths of the state as ‘Talibans’ and maligning the image of Meghalaya in front of the entire country.
Marak said that for the Congress to use the recent events as an excuse to gain petty political mileage, shows that they do not care if their actions bring a bad name to the state.
Meanwhile, the NPP reminded the Congress that the situation in Meghalaya during their government was characterised by threats and indefinite bandh calls by insurgent outfits.
“Today, one can travel to any part of Khasi, Jaintia or Garo Hills without having to deploy security all along the road. Under the MDA government and the leadership of Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, there is relative peace in the state. Except for a negligible number of minor volatile incidents, the MDA government under NPP’s leadership has been able to solve them through dialogue and discussions,” the NPP spokesperson said.
Marak also said that the NPP can come up with a long list of ‘dictatorial’, ‘undemocratic’ and ‘terrorist-like’ activities perpetrated by the Mukul-led Congress government on the citizens of Meghalaya, which eventually led to the breakdown of law and order in the state.
The NPP reminded the case of Fullmoon Dhar who was gunned down by the police on the 1st of June 2009 after “escaping†from Shillong jail.
Also, PJ Marbaniang, an officer-in-charge of Patharkhmah outpost in Ri Bhoi district was found mysteriously shot inside his official quarter in Patharkhmah on January 24, 2015, a day after detaining 32 coal-laden trucks plying illegally on the Patharkhmah route.
The NPP alleged that before 2018 elections, NCP candidate Jonathone Sangma was killed by a militant outfit in Garo Hills, but the Congress government was silent because Jonathone was not from their party and even an enquiry was not set up.
“In fact, Jonathone had complained about Deborah Marak before the 2013 elections, stating that Marak tried using GNLA militants to intimidate voters. Marak eventually won the seat as a Congress candidate in 2013,” Marak alleged.
The NPP also reminded the Congress how they suppressed protests when nine students were shot down in broad daylight by the police near the MBOSE office in Tura and Williamnagar, when Dr. Mukul Sangma was the Home Minister in 2005.
“Today, the same Congress is using words like ‘terrorists’ against the people of Meghalaya. For Surjewala, his perspective is that of an outsider, where he has not bothered to dive into any facts before damaging the image of the state. As long as he and his party can gain some mileage, everything seems justified to them,” the NPP spokesperson said.
According to the NPP, Surjewala and the Congress must collectively apologise to the people of Meghalaya for making such blatant remarks.
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