By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 16: UDP leader Paul Lyngdoh has cautioned against the growing tendency to use social media to stoke controversy between Meghalaya and Assam, calling for greater engagement between the neighbouring states to prevent online hostility from undermining relations.
Terming the trend unhealthy, Lyngdoh said it can be addressed only through collective efforts by stakeholders from both states to choose cooperation over confrontation.
Recalling what he had described in the Assembly as a “digital intox” phenomenon, Lyngdoh observed that individuals increasingly seek to grab headlines and turn newsmakers by circulating content that provokes hostility.
He said attention should instead focus on positive bilateral developments. Pointing to reciprocal arrangements to accommodate vehicles from Meghalaya and Assam at their respective airports, he cited this coordination as an example of constructive engagement that deserves wider notice.
Lately, individuals from both states have taken to filming and posting alleged instances of misconduct by visitors across the border, including public urination, spitting, and suspected drink-driving. Such videos have sparked sharp online exchanges, raising concerns that isolated incidents are being exploited to fuel broader animosity.
Lyngdoh maintained that both states stand to gain more from working together than from allowing differences to escalate. Urging stakeholders to build bridges of trust, he noted that deeper mutual understanding remains vital to checking such friction and preventing online rows from defining interstate ties.