Not easy to convince Assam for revisiting MoU: Tongkhar

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 28, 2022

HSPDP leader and cabinet minister Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar on Thursday said it will not be easy to convince the Assam government for revisiting the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in respect of the six areas of difference.

“It will not be easy to convince the Assam government to again revisit because they may also express their own problems and they may even ask for more,” Tongkhar said.

He added that “there is no assurance that by revisiting we will benefit even though we understand the concern of people who want everything that we should get but it is difficult.”

The minister further reiterated that the MoU had clearly stated that the ownership rights over the land whether in Meghalaya or Assam will not be disturbed.

“Many people are worrying by saying why we have sold the land to Assam or why we have given free of cost to Assam which is not true. In fact, if the land belongs to the people from Meghalaya, it will remain with the people from Meghalaya even though (administratively speaking) it went to Assam,” he said.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had said that the regional parties have not demanded revisiting of the MoU and that all MDA partners are part and parcel of the decision.

Admitting this, the HSPDP leader said an all-party meeting was called before signing of the MoU. “The suggestions, views and opinions of all political parties has been noted down and the government has taken a decision after listening to all these suggestions,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tongkhar said that it is very true that all recommendations of the regional committees could not be accommodated in the settlement.

“We did try to fight for those areas, where people wanted to be in Meghalaya, which were not included in the list of disputed areas as per a report submitted to Assam in 2011. However, the Assam government did not agree to it,” he said.

The minister further warned that if the issue is further delayed then Meghalaya will go back to its position of having no boundary.

“By delaying we are again going to the same position where we have no boundary,” he said.

“History says that Meghalaya starts from Brahmaputra but now nobody would dare claim that Guwahati falls under Meghalaya. So if we do not settle, we know there is push from the people of Assam because our people we are far from the border whereas Assam people are very close to the border so atomically they will occupy those lands and in 20-30 years, they will fill up all those disputed land and astronomically when we go and settle we will lose the land like what it has happened,” he said.