Shillong, July 17: The Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) has urged the state government to take concrete steps to protect the rights of the indigenous community.
“Meghalaya government should not stop at just passing resolutions if there is no concrete solution to immediately fulfill the long-pending demands of the community,” FKJGP vice-president Kitboklang Nongphlang said while addressing the 191st death anniversary of Khasi freedom fighter U Tirot Sing Syiem on Friday.
He was reacting to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s recent statement on passing a resolution against uranium mining in the state.
Calling on the youth and the community to remain united, he said, “As youth and as a community, we must stand united so that outsiders cannot come and take control in this beloved land of ours.”
Elaborating on the Khasi community’s unique history and identity, he said, “If we study and delve deeper into the history of our community, we realize that we are indeed a unique people. Yet even to this day, we have to continue to agitate and demand special laws to protect our land and our community.”
He noted that while civil society groups have been trying to push the government on various pressing issues, “There are also voices that try to confuse and mislead the public from time to time.”
Referring to the legacy of U Tirot Sing, Nongphlang recalled the leader’s last words: “It is better to die as a free king than to live as a slave king.”
The FKJGP leader also cited pending government commitments, pointing out that a resolution for inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule was passed in 2018, and one on the Inner Line Permit (ILP) was passed in 2019.
