Thursday, October 20 2005 11:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Shillong: The Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) Amendment Bill, which seeks to revamp the board much to the chagrin of Garo Students' Union, has put the Congress-led D D Lapang Government in a catch-22 situation.

The bill, which the assembly sent to a select committee immediately after tabling it in the assembly by Deputy Chief, Minister in-charge of Education Donkupar Roy on October 17, sought to accommodate recommendations of a state-level Committee headed by chief secretary to revamp the board.

The Garo Students' Union and social organizations in the Garo hills have opposed the bill on the plea that the Shillong regional office of the board would have greater power, which amounted to bifurcation of the West Garo hills town Tura headquartered MBOSE.

Veteran Garo leader and former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A Sangma had urged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to direct the Chief Minister not to go ahead with the legislation.

On the other hand, the Khasi Students Union (KSU) and other social outfits of the Khasi Hills region are demanding the MBOSE Act, 1973 to be modified adequately and pressing foran amendment bill to be placed and passed in the assembly to revamp the board.

The diametrically opposite stands of the Khasis have led to an ethnic division between the two main tribal communities in Meghalaya.

The rallies called by the Garo Students Union on September 30 last were to oppose bifurcation of the MBOSE. The firing bythe police and CRPF at the rallies at Tura and Williamnagar in the Garo hills on the day left nine dead and over 100 injured.

Later, one of the two deputy chief ministers, Mukul Sangma belonging to the Garo community, resigned from the Lapang Government owning responsibility for the incident.

Now, the dilemma before the Lapang Government is that if it plans to go ahead with the passing of the amendment bill, the Garos, including the opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) which has a stronghold in that region, will not take it easily. Even some of the Garo MLAs of the Congress are opposing the legislation, keeping in mind the ground realities.

The NCP MLAs had reportedly quit their respective seats in the assembly and submitted their resignation letter to Purno Sangma for party high command's approval. Two of its MLAs, nominated to the assembly select committee, were still undecided on joining the panel.

The Government would, therefore, tread cautiously before adding any salt to the injuries of the Garos, especially after the twin-firing incident.

But, on the other hand, sitting over the amendment bill for long by referring it to a select committee by the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) Government would further antagonize the KSU and other social outfits of the Khasi Hills, which had resorted to prolonged agitation from May to August.