Tura: The Achik Youth Movement for Better Society (AYMBS) has expressed shock at the silence of 23 MLAs from the Garo Hills region over the hunger strike launched by a conglomeration of NGOs, led by ACHIK, to declare Tura as the ‘Winter Capital’ of Meghalaya.
However, Gambegre MLA Saleng Sangma has extended his support towards the demand made by ACHIK.
Members of ACHIK and other NGOs have been on a hunger strike in the town of Tura over the twin demands of clearance of backlog appointments as well as setting up of a Winter Capital in the town of Tura.
“We are shocked and saddened by the silence of all 23 MLAs from Garo Hills with the exception of Saleng Sangma. The hunger strike has almost gone on for 2 weeks now but our elected representatives are still in silent mode,” said the president of AYMBS, Peterjob A Sangma.
Peter reminded the MLAs that during the election campaigns, all of them had promised and assured that they would raise their voice for the welfare of the community and the region, but their silence at this juncture is “unacceptable”.
“The Garo Hills region deserves to be a second capital of the state as agreed by our founding fathers. This was agreed upon but till date, nothing has been done to implement it in spirit. In 1970 the first cabinet meeting was held in Tura,” he added.
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Peter stressed that if the 23 legislators remained silent as they were now, they would all be answerable in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections next year, the GHADC elections as well as the 2028 Assembly elections.
“We voted for you and expect that our demands will be taken seriously. We are not demanding anything out of the box or unconstitutional. The CM and the Governor are the key players to approve the setting up of a second capital. Our 23 MLAs should learn from Saleng and come forward to achieve this long-pending demand, which has never been fulfilled till date,” asserted Peter.
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