Shillong, August 26: Amid the decades-old border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has called the issue deeply emotional yet resolvable, stressing that his government is pursuing a sincere, step-by-step approach aimed at achieving lasting peace. Speaking on the complexities of the matter, Sangma said that while incidents may flare up, the situation remains under control and dialogue is steadily moving forward after decades of stagnation.
“See border areas, there will always be situation that will add up, it is an emotional issue and we are always moving and working towards that,” Sangma remarked, highlighting the sensitive nature of the dispute that has persisted for over five decades.
He acknowledged that while concerns have arisen at times, joint efforts between administrations and local communities have helped ease tensions. “As of now there has been understanding, yes there was a bit of concerned at that point in time but the administrations of both the states and the public at large have resolved to some extent of the issue,” he stated.
The Chief Minister underscored the historical weight of the conflict, pointing out that it cannot be undone overnight. “There will always be a continuous issue because these are things that has been there for the last 52-53 years, we can’t expect that tomorrow everything will be fine just because know, we just say that let it go of the land or don’t fight. So just because we say that we don’t expect that, we will be able to simply resolve all the issues which have been there for the last 52 years,” he explained.
According to Sangma, sporadic incidents are part of the problem’s nature, but the key lies in effective response and containment. “So incidence and sometimes situations could it up but it natural keeping in mind that history of how the situations have been. So, therefore but what is important for us is to be able to contain it, what is important for us is to be able to respond to it, what is important for us is to be able to then find a solution to it. So we are working on that and as of now the situation is under control,” he assured.
Reflecting on the renewed dialogue between Assam and Meghalaya, Sangma credited the current government for reviving talks that had stalled for decades. “Assam is having elections, so therefore there has been a lull for the last 46 years, so finally, we started the talks, so I guess you can give us that much credit to understand that there are situations, we cannot always be in. So whatever lull that was there for 46 years, we try to make it better and we will continue to work on it,” he said.
He also admitted the complexity of the process, noting that meaningful engagement requires time and patience. “So let’s see, it’s not so simple, it’s complicated, therefore is is something that we would like to take it at the right pace and in the right way and engage with people,” Sangma explained.
In a strong assertion, he claimed that his government is the first to pursue the issue in earnest. “The point is again is that for the first time there’s a government that is actually working towards this in a very honest and sincere manner. It was never there before, can we find solutions to everything, maybe not, it is not so easy but are we trying, yes we are and we will give it our best because we want long-lasting peace and in the meantime we would like to see that the people living in this area can live in a peaceful manner,” he said.
Sangma concluded by acknowledging that confrontations are inevitable, but reiterated optimism over the direction of the talks. “There are always be confrontations, but that’s a nature of the problem but I think at large, we are moving in the right direction and let’s see how things unfold in the future,” the Chief Minister maintained.
