By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Sounder Strong Cajee, the Independent candidate supported by the Socio Political Awareness Committee (SPAC) contesting from Shillong South constituency, has said that it was NCP leader Sanbor Shullai who forced him to join the fray despite him being not so keen.
“I never planned to contest this election. But it was Laban sitting legislator who insisted that I should contest,” Cajee said while speaking at the function at Assam Club, Laban here on Thursday to mark the official announcement of his candidature by SPAC.
Cajee added that Shullai had met him at least on four occasions to coax him to contest the election.
According to Cajee, the sitting legislator had even announced in a public rally that he was not going to contest anymore.
“By the time I have prepared myself to contest, I came to know that Shullai has backtracked from his commitment and decided to join the fray. It was too late for me to change the decision since I had already made up my mind to contest the election,” he said.
Cajee said that it was really an honour to see the SPAC reposing faith on him to fight the election on their behalf as an Independent candidate. Earlier, the declaration of the candidature of Cajee was made by SPAC spokesperson Prof Aubren Shanpru during the meeting. “The committee unanimously decided to field Cajee as an Independent candidate from Shillong South Constituency,” Prof Shanpru said.
While stating that Cajee would be the face of the Committee in the ensuing election, he said that it would go all out to ensure Cajee’s victory.
“For the past 41 years, the people of the constituency have been taken for a ride since none of the legislators who represented the constituency has made any attempt to address the basic problems faced by the people. The people of the constituency are still facing the problem of acute water shortage even as there is also problem of lack of development,” the SPAC spokesperson said.
According to Prof Shanpru, emergence of the Committee is an outcome of the anger of the people of the constituency, who are totally unhappy with the non-performance by past MLAs. Cajee, meanwhile, criticized the policy of both sitting legislators- Shullai and Manas Chaudhuri in utilizing the MLA schemes.
According to him, the legislators at present are using the funds under MLA schemes like their own money.
“The MLA schemes are meant for bringing in development in the constituency and not for distribution of petty items among the people of the constituency,” Cajee said while adding that the people want real development like roads, water and other basic amenities.
Cajee would be filing his nomination papers on February 5.