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| P.A. Sangma |
Shillong, Sept. 25: Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A. Sangma today said the idea of a separate state for the Garo community of Meghalaya was not “a viable option”.
A leading player in the proposed peace talks between the banned Achik National Volunteers’ Council (ANVC) and the Centre, Sangma said Meghalaya was a small state and the demand for creating a separate state could not be accepted.
Sangma told newspersons that the “political aspirations” of all the tribal communities in the region were growing with every passing day and that a “political solution” to the problems needed to be worked out.
“Militancy in the Northeast is essentially a form of expression of the aspiration of a section of the people. But the path of violence adopted by the militants is not acceptable. People’s aspirations should be expressed in a democratic manner. Militants do not represent the masses,” he said.
Citing China’s policy of “one nation, two systems” in administering the province of Hong Kong, Sangma said the Centre could adopt a similar method with reference to the northeastern states. He also advocated revival of the traditional tribal system of administration.
Accusing the Centre of lacking sincerity, ANVC general secretary Wanding K. Marak had told a select group of journalists in April that his outfit would readily begin a dialogue with the Centre, provided it responded positively to the demand for a separate state.
He said this had been conveyed to Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga and Intelligence Bureau director K.P. Singh during a meeting in the Thai capital in January. Marak disclosed that the ANVC had no objection to Zoramthanga being the Centre’s interlocutor in the proposed peace talks.
Trying hard to convince everybody that the ANVC was not a gang of mercenaries, Marak said, “We are not blood-thirsty killers. We are peace-loving people and ready to begin formal peace talks with the Centre if it responds positively to our demand. Unfortunately, there has been no communication from Delhi since the Bangkok meeting.”
