46-year-old medical practitioner, Dr Mukul Sangma, has created history of sorts by eclipsing the track record of many in the State, including octogenarian political leaders. He has been in power for three years in a State where only one of his predecessors Salseng C Marak could complete a full term. His drastic action against dissidents, dropping as many four Cabinet ministers was a turning point. Though he brought back one of them later, the message was clear. He also took up major development projects and managed to get a much higher chunk of Central funds for the State.
The State is going to elections under his regime, and as he goes about criss-crossing the Hill State on the election trail, he talks about the ‘enormous’ response he is witnessing and many other subjects in an interview to Our Special Correspondent CK Nayak, Dr Sangma dwelt on various issues.
ST: Am I speaking to the next Chief Minister?
Mukul: Every party has a process for selecting its Chief Minister, once it has the requisite numbers in the House. This time it will be no different and a meeting of the CLP will be held at the appropriate time, to take this decision.
ST: Are you confident that this time Congress will get majority on its own and form the next Government?
Mukul: I am sure we will come up with majority seats on our own and form the next Government. I have been travelling all over the State and everywhere I visit, the enthusiasm of the people is to be seen to be believed.
ST: What is the magic key you have with which you lasted for three years, quite a long period by Meghalaya’s record?
Mukul: There is no magic key with me. It is actually quite sad that our people have had to suffer from unstable governments so long in the past. It is quite obvious that instability hurts progress and development and our people need to reflect on the importance of their vote in choosing and electing a stable government.
My party came with a record number of 25 Members in last Assembly elections. But we were not allowed to form the Government for nearly a year. Then the NCP-led Government collapsed due to its inner contradictions within less than a year and Congress came back to power. After one year, I was asked to take charge.
Since then there has been no looking back. Development has been the main focus of this Government and with a stable administration; we have tried to meet the aspirations of our people. These aspirations have changed over the years and this Government has been responsive. We believe that it is not enough to give a person a fish everyday but to teach him or her how to fish. Therefore instead of more and more grants or entitlements, we have worked continuously on empowering people.
This is evident by way of various initiatives we took in health and in education such as health insurance & better hospitals, a medical college, a better deal for teachers & more hostels, in skill training, in livelihoods, for youth such as Youth for Green and coaching assistance for competitive exams and in women’s empowerment through financial inclusion, to name just a few.
The response from the people to these initiatives has been overwhelming and Congress has been able to live up to the expectations of the people of the State. I am confident they will give us a clear mandate in this month’s polls to encourage us to continue our work.
ST: But the main opposition party NPP has alleged that nothing much has been done in the State in the past four years.
Mukul: It is for the people to see and judge. We started widening of Shillong-Guwahati national highway and built the Shillong bypass, two remarkable programmes of this Government. Both these projects are making good progress and we expect to commission them this year itself. Across the State we are building new roads and improving existing roads including district roads which are often neglected.
Work on the Railway line is making rapid progress and this year itself, the first train will enter Meghalaya. Creation of four new districts last year have helped bring administration closer to people and helped fulfill a promise that we made earlier. Our performance during the last three years speaks for itself and even the Centre has recognised this by giving us the highest ever Plan allocation. The Prime Minister in his last public meeting mentioned Meghalaya as one of the fast growing states in the country. This is an economic fact now as this growth percolates at all levels of the population and thereby all will get additional benefits. On the other hand, in the one-year period when the opposition ruled the State, there was only chaos and confusion and no development. So it is time for the opposition to wake up to the fact that facts and data cannot be wished away.
ST: In this election Congress is going it alone. Why your party does not have a pre-poll alliance since all along your party was heading a coalition Government?
Mukul: We have nothing against our coalition partners. Ours is the oldest national party in the country and we have pan North East presence. No other party has such reach or a corresponding vision. Even in Meghalaya, the regional parties are either confined to Khasi-Jaintia Hills or to Garo Hills. The Indian National Congress is spread across the country, the region and in the State from the grassroot to the top level.
Hence, we decided to fight on our own. In any case even in the last polls Congress fought on its own without any alliance. Whether it be Congress or other parties, none had a pre-poll alliance. There were only post-poll groupings.
ST: What would be your party’s main promise to the people of the State before the election?
Mukul: Our polls pledges are there in our manifesto. The important thing is that as a party, we keep our promises. Equally important is do you really have a plan to keep those promises? The difference between us and the rest is that we have a plan, a detailed programme and deliberate policies to facilitate the achievement of those promises. The creation of opportunities for people to realize their potential is vital for the State and this is vital for a sustainable growth. While our priority is to finish the ongoing projects like four laning of Shillong-Guwahati national highway, Shillong bypass and railway lines, it is equally important to improve the quality of life of people in terms of better health and education, secure livelihoods and a nurturing of our culture & way of life.
In turn this must lead to more income and more happiness. We have promised to provide employment to one lakh people ….we have promised to build one lakh houses for the poor….we have promised several initiative for training and upskilling the youth and women….we believe that with sustained efforts it is possible to abolish poverty in the State in 10 years’ time. In 10 years, we will eliminate poverty in Meghalaya – that is our promise to the people of the State.
ST: What are your comments about the law and order situation in the state which is quite bad in Garo hills, your home turf?
Mukul: There was militancy in the State including in Garo Hills earlier too in different forms. My Government has adopted a two-pronged strategy of carrying on various development works in the insurgency infested areas since underdevelopment is the root cause of insurgency.
At the same time we also took on the militants resorting to violence but kept the doors for talks open. We are jointly working with the Government of India on the outlines of a lasting settlement of the issue and if we come back to power after the elections we should be in a position to move ahead rapidly.
ST: There are allegations that some politicians have links with militants. Once you yourself aired such facts. What are your comments now?
Mukul: What I said was that the militants are part of the same society to which the politicians belong. There could be some links between the two. But I did not specify any party or person.
At the same time let us not forget that Congress and its leaders have been the worst victims of insurgency & terrorism in the country as well as in the State.
ST: The NPP has made allegations that your party and Government have not done much for the people of Meghalaya. Will you react?
Mukul: Facts speak for themselves and you only need to travel through the State to understand the ground reality. Our approach has been to work more and talk less. The NPP believes in the opposite.