Shillong, Aug 31: The Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress has condemned the government’s decision to organise a concert on September 1 at Williamnagar, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Late P.A. Sangma, ‘our beloved leader and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha’.
78th birth anniversary former Lok Sabha Speaker is on September 1. On the same day, the NPP will celebrate 13th foundation day of the party.
In a statement on Sunday, Timjim K Momin, President, Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress, said the party is not against the observance of Late P.A. Sangma’s birth anniversary. He was a towering leader of the nation and a source of pride for the people of Garo Hills.
“However, we strongly believe that such an occasion should be observed in a dignified and meaningful manner, not through lavish concerts that cost lakhs and crores of rupees while the employees of GHADC remain unpaid for months, Momin said.
The party endorsed the stand of the East Garo Hills NGOs and concerned citizens who have already expressed their displeasure against the proposed concert. “Their concerns are genuine and justified, and the Youth Congress stands shoulder to shoulder with them in opposing this insensitive programme”, he said.
“We ask the Government of Meghalaya if lakhs and crores can be spent on concerts and celebrations, why can’t the same funds be used to clear the pending salaries of GHADC employees. Does extravagance hold greater importance than the survival and dignity of thousands of employees and their families?”
According to the youth wing, the people of Garo Hills have already shown solidarity with GHADC employees through peaceful protests and symbolic shutdowns. Instead of responding with empathy, the government continues to indulge in unnecessary extravagance, exposing its insensitivity, financial irresponsibility, and misplaced priorities.
It is often said by great statesmen that the nation comes first, then the party. But for the NPP, the opposite seems to hold; party and self-interest come before the people. By choosing concerts over salaries, they have once again shown that their priority is not governance, but political optics.
The Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress believes that the birth anniversary of Late P.A. Sangma should be an occasion to honour his legacy with programmes that inspire, uplift, and address the needs of the people, not concerts that ignore their suffering. Spending lakhs and crores on entertainment while employees starve is nothing but a betrayal of public trust and a grave injustice to the people, he said.
“We stand in complete solidarity with the employees of GHADC, the NGOs of East Garo Hills, and the people of Garo Hills, and will continue to raise our voice against such anti-people governance”, the Congress said.
