"We congratulate the government and the state police in particular for having caught Champion," Opposition Leader Conrad K Sangma told PTI on the sidelines of a party meeting here.
He, however said, the police should not derive any self gratification out of the arrest of the rebel chief as his arrest is insignificant if the outfit is not neutralised.
"The government should address the actual problem as to why several outfits have cropped up in the Garo Hills region in a very short span of time. They should not bask in glory that the GNLA chairman is under police custody but to look for solutions to the myriads of problems that exist in the Garo Hills," Conrad said.
The issues of backwardness, the increasing number of educated unemployed youths, illiteracy and all sorts of social problems exist at the grassroots level, he said.
While the top cop-turned rebel Champion had been in Bangladesh soil for more than a year now, the outfit has multiplied its force in Garo Hills, he said.
The government should find a long-term solution and create an environment of opportunities that enable youths to get out their frustrations, Conrad said. (MORE)