By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Following the recent controversy of trying project his own candidate in Jirang constituency, Union Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent H Pala has landed into a fresh controversy for trying to do the same even in Shella Constituency which has not gone down well with the Shella Block Congress Committee (SBCC).
“It is really disturbing to see the Union Minister trying to project his own candidate even in Shella constituency. He (Pala) has projected his close associate Jropsing Nongkhlaw as his candidate to contest from the constituency. In fact, the person whom the Union Minister is projecting is not even the primary member of the party,” SBCC vice president Shembhalang L Chyne said here on Tuesday.
Stating that the SBCC would not accept the person whom Pala has projected, Chyne said the SBCC had recommended the name of senior party leader Leston Wanswett to the District Congress Committee (DCC) as party candidate to contest the upcoming 2013 Assembly election from Shella constituency.
The SBCC vice president also said that they are also very upset with the attitude of the Union Minister of State for undermining the SBCC.
“In fact, Pala has visited the constituency twice in the past one year but without informing the SBCC which is really unexpected on the part of the Union Minister,” Chyne said. He said that normally, the block Congress would always be informed if any top party functionaries visit the constituency.
‘Perhaps, the main reason which prompted the Union Minister of State to avoid the SBCC is because he knows that they are not in favour of the candidate he is projecting,” Chyne said. “We know that Shella is not the exception since we know that he (Pala) has created a division even in the Jirang Block Congress Committee (JBCC) by projecting his friend to contest from there,” Chyne said.
While criticizing the claim of Pala that as per the standing directive of the AICC wherever an MP or a Minister goes, he has to attend meetings and meet party workers, the SBCC vice president said that he does not believe that there is any such directive on the part of the AICC.
“The claim of Pala is totally misleading,” Chyne added.
