SHILLONG: In an explosive political counter-attack, former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Dr. Mukul Sangma has accused the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government of deliberately sabotaging the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), launching a direct assault on Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong over what he termed “falsehoods and malafide intentions.”
Dr. Sangma expressed both anger and disappointment at his former colleague, reminding the public that Tynsong was among the key architects of the MRSSA, and is now, according to him, actively undermining the very law meant to protect the state from illegal immigration and criminal activities.
“Stop Lying to the Public”
Taking aim at Tynsong’s public statements, Dr. Sangma said the Deputy Chief Minister was misleading citizens, particularly in his home constituency of Pynursla, where concerns over illegal immigration remain acute.
“I pity him if he is hiding behind faulty legal interpretations,” Dr. Sangma said. “But I am also angry because he is lying to the very people who elected him.”
Clarifying the legal position, Dr. Sangma explained that once an Act is published in the Official Gazette, it becomes law, but cannot be enforced unless the government frames the required Rules and operational guidelines.
He recalled that the High Court has already observed that the MRSSA cannot function effectively in the absence of such Rules. Questioning the prolonged delay, he asked why successive governments since 2018 have failed to notify them.
“If the law exists, what is stopping Bah Prestone from framing the Rules?” Sangma asked. “The only explanation is a hidden agenda to deliberately stall the Act.”
Dr. Sangma linked the government’s reluctance to implement the MRSSA to illegal coal mining and transportation.
He pointed out that a key provision of the Act mandates strict monitoring of villages and major thoroughfares, including the installation of CCTV cameras along National and State Highways.
“If CCTVs are installed on highways, illegal coal cannot be transported anymore,” he alleged. “The government wants to remain blind so illegal trade can continue. That is the real reason they refuse to implement this law properly.”
Dr. Sangma also criticised the government’s repeated demand for “evidence” from citizens regarding illegal activities, warning that willful inaction despite knowledge of wrongdoing could amount to offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The former Chief Minister challenged the government to take a clear stand. If the ruling dispensation no longer has faith in the MRSSA, he said, it must introduce a new and stronger legislation in the Assembly.
“Our responsibility is not just to run the government using existing laws, but to be lawmakers,” Dr. Sangma asserted. “We must frame laws that protect the people—and we must have the courage to implement them.”
