By Ibankyntiew Mawrie
SHILLONG: He and his party has been putting up candidates since 1972 for both Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, creating a record of sorts, but could not break the jinx.
The veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Meghalaya unit Darling Dympep (84) has put up a lone candidate this time too at least to make the party’s presence felt in the elections if not for securing the seat.
Dympep who himself had contested both Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the past has deplored that the masses have failed to accept the party in the State.
Talking to The Shillong Times, Dympep stated that the reason behind their continuous loss in the assembly elections and parliamentary elections is due to the fact that the people are yet to grab the basic fundamentals of the party while mentioning that a colonial hangover still persisted in the State till date.
“We need people to understand that they are being oppressed and deprived by the corporate houses who at present dominate the whole country. They exploit our farmers and the poor people and then reap the benefits”, said secretary of CPI, Meghalaya Unit D Dympep who left the job of an intelligence official with Union Home Ministry way back in 1960 to spearhead the party in the State.
Dympep said prior to the hill-state movement, the leaders claimed that they will ensure that everybody’s stomach is filled, their bodies clothed and shelters to keep their head, “However, it is sad to see that it is quite the opposite now”, he noted.
Then, there were only 23 percent of the people who are living below the poverty line but now it has increased to more than 70 percent which implies that the State is moving backward rather than forward, he asserted.
The leaders should understand that education, agriculture and all others are just super structure, and if the base which is the economy of the state is not strong, then the state will continue to stay in darkness, he said.
Quoting former Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh, an 84-year old Dympep said “Corporate houses are more dangerous than criminals and muscle men” adding that the corrupted people are afraid of the law and if such people stay in the government, “How can you expect development in the State to take place”, he added.
Taking into consideration the backwardness of the state, the CPI secretary said that change is the need of the hour and it is the people who can bring about this change. “However, this liberty of the people is forcefully being bought off by rich people and there is where the stagnation lies”, he rued.
Stating that election is an end to itself, Dympep said “Election is just a beginning and end in itself. It holds no ground in this state and with money power; we fear that we might go back to the colonial ages where our lives will be dictated by a few filthy rich people.”
“Our party is not an election-oriented party but rather it is a revolutionary party. We fight for the rights of the common man, a man who toils day and night to make both ends meet”, he said adding that they stand by that principal and if the people still want their lives to be controlled by a handful of power-hungry politicians, then it is their choice.
Reacting to a query, Dympep said the CPI does not follow other parties by releasing a manifesto of their own, stating that a manifesto is nothing by mere promises which fails to materialize if that party is voted to power.
“Our motive is to make the people understand about the current scenario of the state and the role they can play in bringing a revolution”, he said while putting forth his party’s foremost objective which social equality.
Meanwhile, talking to a lone CPI candidate from Sohra, Richard D Shabong who is also a retired NEHU employee highlighted his motive to join the fray stating that he cannot stand the injustice being done to the people and the state anymore. “It is high time, that we need to do something to bring about a change in the state”, he said.
Criticizing the other candidates from that constituency for giving a totally wrong picture of Sohra just to woo voters, Shabong said that the ground reality is that Sohra has been deprived of many things. Despite being known as a tourist destination, yet the roads are in deplorable conditions, the surroundings are very dirty and the villages are facing a serious problem of water scarcity
Admitting that the competition is more with UDP candidate Sohra MDC Titus Chyne, Shabong said that the competition is tough but he is hopeful that he will get through if the people can break-through the ideologies he believes in while also maintaining that this will be the first and the last time for him to contest in the elections however, stated that if he win, he will not hesitate contesting for the second time.
Coming down hard on the congress party, the CPI candidate cited his experience stating that the congress exploit the voters to a large extend.