Meghalaya refuses to give up on disputed village
Tilak Rai
Shillong, June 9: A day after Assam Government reiterated that Langpih was “not negotiable,” Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy on Monday said he would insist on a discussion on the disputed village during his one-on-one with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday at Dispur. Meanwhile, Congress leader and former chief minister D D Lapang and Meghalaya state Congress president O L Nongtdu would meet Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday to ask her to intervene and restrain Assam from claiming the border village.
Meghalaya and Assam have 12 areas that are under dispute.
Langpih, a village situated on Meghalaya-Assam border, has been a bone of contention between the two neighbouring states. Claiming the village to be part of Assam, two Assam ministers recently laid foundation stones of a health centre, an inspection bungalow and forest guard quarters.
Earlier, Gogoi had reciprocated Roy’s request to resume dialogue pertaining to the issue. But on Sunday, Assam Government spokesman and minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said that Gogoi was unwilling to discuss Langpih during their meeting on Wednesday.
Roy told reporters on Monday: “We will force them to talk on Langpih, even if they are not interested. Langpih is ours constitutionally and we will raise our voice on June 11.” Roy said Assam was trying to politicise the issue. “But we don’t want to score any brownie points from it,” he added. Roy said Langpih belongs to Meghalaya and there’s documentary proof to substantiate the claim. He added that revenue records, dating back to 1876, clearly show Langpih as Meghalaya’s.
Meanwhile, Nongtdu, who will be meeting Sonia Gandhi along with Lapang, said that they would ask AICC president to intervene and direct Assam not to encroach upon Meghalaya’s territory.
June 10, 2008, Indian Express
|
