From Our Correspondent
NONGSTOIN: The Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) virtually sounded the election bugle by organizing a general council meet at Nongstoin on Saturday.
The meeting was attended by party supremo Hoping Stone Lyngdoh, party candidates Dr Fenela Lyngdoh Nonglait, KP Pangniang and Witting Mawsor and hundreds of party workers and supporters.
Incidentally, Dr Advisor Pariong, vice president of the HSPDP, was conspicuous with his absence, forcing the party to remove him from the post of finance secretary of West Khasi Hills unit.
“HSPDP is still fighting for a separate Khasi-Jaintia state,” Hoping Stone Lyngdoh said, adding, “Meghalaya was bifurcated from Assam by the Central Government but the Khasis have still been denied their basic rights.”
Reiterating that the party would continue its fight against uranium mining in West Khasi Hills, Lyngdoh said, “I will not give up on this issue and when I won’t be able to lead the people of Nongstoin new leaders would emerge who would continue the fight and not allow uranium mining in the district.”
Highlighting the party’s poll manifesto, Lyngdoh sought the support of the people of West Khasi Hills in the upcoming election and said that the issues taken by the party could be fulfilled only if the party comes to power after the election.
Meanwhile, the four candidates Pangniang (Rambrai Jyrngam), Mawsor (Mawshynrut), Dr Nonglait (Mawthadraishan) and Lyngdoh (Nongstoin) pledged not to join other parties after winning in the election.
Nonglait, who is the president of the party’s women wing, expressed confidence that HSPDP would secure majority in West Khasi Hills in the upcoming election.
“Every constituency in the district will witness a strong contest between Congress and HSPDP,” she said. Speaking about the party’s opposition to uranium mining, Dr Nonglait said, “It was only because of the presence of HSPDP in the MUA coalition that the Uranium Mining Bill could not be passed.”
During the meeting, new office bearers of the district unit, the women’s wing and the youth wing were appointed.