Conrad strikes up pre-budget debate on Facebook

For the first time in Meghalaya, leader of Opposition uses social networking site to get the pulse of the masses

ANDREW W. LYNGDOH

Shillong, Feb 21 : The young, enterprising, net-savvy leader of Meghalaya Opposition, Conrad Sangma, has achieved a first — kicked up a raging pre-budget debate among the masses on a social networking site.

“Was preparing questions for Budget Session...if anyone has any thoughts or issues that they would like me to raise, please feel free to email: assemblyquestion@yahoo.com...thanks Conrad,” — read Sangma’s Facebook “wall” last Saturday.

The budget session, to be held from March 9-23, will be the last of the current eighth Meghalaya Assembly, as the state will be going to the polls in February-March next year.

Though the “wall post” was around the budget, the responses that flooded Sangma’s profile revolved around the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), demand for a separate statehood for the Garos, peace, security, unemployment, influx, traffic congestion, the public distribution system, National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and illegal mining of minerals.

“What are the government’s plans to suppress the GNLA which is a terrorist organisation engaged in extortion from coal traders, petrol pump owners and local businessmen?” asked one netizen, a question he wanted Sangma to ask the treasury bench during the budget.

On the much-debated bifurcation of Meghalaya, one asked: “Why don’t you raise the question for the separate state for the Garo people?”

Yet another wrote: “In this way, every state shall start demanding their own share of land and this is not the solution to tackle problems which are intentionally created by neighbouring countries.”

Apart from the GNLA and statehood issues, Sangma has also been tapped on the prickly issue of influx.

“Seriously, we should tackle influx. I’ve seen that the business in Tura and Shillong has been taken over by others. We have seen how our own people are pushed to the road side,” a netizen observed.

“The government should do something about the immigrants from Bangladesh...they are taking our business, our place...if this continues, there will be no place for our children in the future,” another Facebook member said.

On unemployment, a netizen said, “Why don’t you raise the problem of unemployment in Meghalaya? It is the future problem of militancy.”

“Youths are flying abroad. Hence, manpower of the state is fading because of partiality, corruption. So, the government should focus on fair employment...” another Facebook member said.