CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of Transport Sniawbhalang Dhar on Thursday appealed for restraint and urged all stakeholders to maintain peace amid a vehicle standoff between Meghalaya and Assam.
Vehicles from Meghalaya were reportedly being stopped from entering Assam, while Assam-registered vehicles faced restrictions in Meghalaya following Wednesday's violence during the Khasi Students' Union (KSU) black-flag bike rally in Shillong. Dhar condemned the incident and said the Meghalaya Government remained open to dialogue with the KSU on its demands.
"Yesterday's incident is very, very unfortunate, which cannot be tolerated by the government. From the government side, we request peace. I request KSU members and all other organisations and all the people of the state to maintain peace. If there is any issue, the door is open for talks," he said.
On the KSU's demands, Dhar said the organisation could approach the government for discussions. He added that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma was out of station and suggested that further talks could take place after his return. "KSU are most welcome to come for talks. Let's see, CM is not in station. Let him come back," he said.
Asked about the reported restrictions on vehicles from both states, Dhar referred to the principle of reciprocal action while again appealing for restraint.
"What does Newton's law say? There is reaction for every action. Therefore, I am requesting all to maintain peace," he said.
Dhar said the Meghalaya and Assam governments were already engaged in discussions, apparently at the Chief Ministerial level.
"Both the governments are in talks. Not at my level; it seems they are discussing at the CM level with their counterparts. I am not very sure, but I am sure they must have spoken to each other," he added.