Meghalaya CM slams Rajnath’s remark on security

Countering Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement that the murder of an election candidate was proof of "lawlessness" in Meghalaya, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Tuesday said his government has never compromised on tackling insurgency and restoring peace in the state.

"His (Singh's) remark on lawlessness in the state was 'unbecoming'. It is the most irresponsible comment of a Home Minister of a nation. Has he forgotten his own responsibility," said Sangma.

Addressing an election rally in Songsak, Rajnath Singh on Monday attacked the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance government, saying the killing of Nationalist Congress Party candidate Jonathone N. Sangma and three others in an improvised explosive device blast in East Garo Hills district indicated "utter chaos and lawlessness" in the state.

Hitting out at the Central government for withdrawing troops that were deployed in counter-insurgency operations in Garo Hills region, the Chief Minister said: "Our proposal to strengthen police stations which was approved by the UPA-II government had been withheld by the BJP government at the Centre.

"Though, they (BJP) had not paid much interest on the proposal of Meghalaya for improving police infrastructure, effort by the state government led to the formation of Special Force-10, wherein over 1,700 personnel were recruited to tackle insurgency and law and order in the State," Sangma said.

"We (the Meghalaya government) have never compromised on tackling insurgency and restoring peace. What about the porous India-Bangladesh border, through which sophisticated arms, IEDs come to Indian side.

"In Nagaland, arms are available freely. The international border is porous and the Union Minister is playing politics," he said.