Despite the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) coalition government forming the Joint Committee on Uranium Mining (JCOUM) to look into various issues including the health and environment aspects of mining, the Congress continues to bat for mining. AICC secretary in-charge of Meghalaya Ved Prakash said that people must understand the urgency and national importance of the need to extract uranium.

The anti-mining group, led by the Khasi Students' Union (KSU), had been opposing uranium mining in the West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. When the agitation intensified, Chief Minister D D Lapang had no option but to form JCOUM including the anti-mining group to look into the issue.