Opposition All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) on Monday said the state Government has lost its moral authority and responsibility to government the state therefore either new Government should come or president rule should be impose in Meghalaya.
Speaking to reporters after an all-party meeting over Mukroh incident, AITC leader and opposition chief whip George B Lyngdoh said, “The Government has failed in its responsibility to act timely (Mukroh incident), people had come and alerted the Government on time regarding the highhandedness of Assam and also their use of force.”
He also claimed that the Assam police has been patrolling those areas for many a time but then the state Government has shied away from its responsibility.
“If these irresponsibility continues I think they have lost, not only the chief Minister but entire cabinet has lost its moral responsibility to govern the state therefore either new Government should come or president rule should be impose in the state considering the fact that the Government has lost its moral authority and its responsibility in Governing the state,” Lyngdoh said.
Asked if opposition will consider writing to Governor demanding President Rule, he said, “Now that we have had this all party meeting , then I will again seat with the leaders of the party considering the fact on this backdrop we will take a call for that. “
He also recalled that the local MLA of Mowkaiaw constituency has been requesting for a police outpost right from 2018 on the floor of the house and outside the house as well but then the Government kept delaying it.
“Now other areas also the Government had ignored and kept this problem on the backburner considering the fact that the BJP Government as we said the double engine government both in Meghalaya and Assam they are in talking terms and at the same having a good relation for the past few years but then somebody should also alert the government that the police officials working on the ground they are totally uncontrollable from the Assam side, therefore the Government thinking that since Himanta Bishwasarma has install the government in 2018, may be on the pretext or on that history may be the Government feel that they should not assert itself too much or otherwise may be Himanta may bring down this Government as well,” the opposition leader said.
Meanwhile, the Opposition All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has expressed disagreement over the setting up of a judicial enquiry commission by the Assam government since Mukroh village falls under the jurisdiction of Meghalaya.
AITC leader and opposition chief whip George B Lyngdoh said the government had said two judicial enquiry commissions have been set up – one from Assam side and one from state government side.
“Now we deferred with the point because the judicial commission that has been set up by Assam is exceeding its jurisdiction because the incident had happened in Mukroh which infact falls under the jurisdiction of Meghalaya,” Lyngdoh said.
He said, “The judicial enquiry that is going to be set by Meghalaya also now how will it work on those people who fall under the control of Assam especially the police which are under the administrative control of Assam. Can our judicial enquiry cross beyond the borders of Meghalaya and work on people who are under the control of Assam? Whether that judicial enquiry and its recommendations will work? so we express our doubts.”
He said the state government had said that they are going to call for a CBI enquiry or an NIA probe that will come and carry out the process. “However, we don’t know the timing. We don’t know whether the central government has actually agreed to it or not whether it is going to be a CBI enquiry or some other judicial enquiry also we don’t know,” he said.
Lyngdoh said, “Therefore, what we said was that why don’t we put our task force our police into action as we had said earlier also we had demanded the government that those culprits should be arrested and arrest warrant should be immediately issued by the state police against those culprits because it is a murder that has been committed on Meghalaya soil and the state police should go against those culprits.”
He said the opposition has also demanded the government to provide alternative or some kind of employment to the next of kin of the departed villagers and take care of all the medical expenses of those injured.
The opposition chief whip said, “We wanted that this criminal act should be dealt with the sternness of action from the state government side and they should also ensure that they show their authority over this case otherwise then it will weaken their point on further discussion on inter-state boundary issues and in their inter-state border settlement if the state government does not act now and show its authority over such areas then perhaps it would be pushing the state government on a back foot and also further discussion and communication they are going to have with government of Assam in the years and the months to come.”
“The government said that they are going to be looking into these demands made by several parties and there has been no assurance that actions will be taken based on the demands made,” he rued.
Lyngdoh said, “We have made it very clear that if the government has again fail to reassert its authority and jurisdictional control over the areas that falls under the jurisdiction of Meghalaya then the right of people to live there is being suppressed and at the same time the government has failed in its responsibility to act timely,” as he continued “If this irresponsibility continues I think they have lost not only the CM but the entire cabinet has lost its moral responsibility to rule the state and therefore either a new government should come or in fact a president’s rule should also be imposed in the state considering the fact that the government has lost its moral authority and its responsibility in governing the state.”