From a Correspondent

SHILLONG, July 8: The People’s Movement, a group, spearheading the agitation to resolve the long pending boundary row with Assam, in a letter addressed to the Meghalaya Chief Minister, Dr Mukul Sangma, said that the failure of the Meghalaya Government to understand the need to suspend any kind of dialogue with the Assam Government is “regrettable”.

“The Movement believes that the demand for the Central Government’s intervention in this regard is justifiable,” stated the letter. The Movement is led by Nongkrem legislator, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, and has district council members and pressure groups in its fold.

The movement also asked the State Government to let the people know about the current stand of the Central and the Assam governments on the present situation in the border areas of Meghalaya.  The People’s Movement is also of the view that Assam is the aggressor who indulges itself in hostile activities along the border.

Meanwhile, the Movement has also expressed its inability to negotiate with the activists who are undergoing the fast-unto-death agitation at Langpih.

Recently, the Chief Minister had urged the People’s Movement to convince the strikers to call off their agitation since the State Government was taking steps to resolve the border row.

The letter to Sangma further stated that the failure of the State Government to convince the activists reveals that the agitators have completely lost confidence in the State Government. “Therefore, it is imperative that the government needs to act more in order to bring back the confidence of the people as far as the problems in the border areas are concerned,” said Basaiawmoit.