SHILLONG: Pynursla on Thursday played host to two election rallies by Vincent H Pala and Paul Lyngdoh, the primary contenders for the prestigious Shillong parliamentary seat, with each attempting their level-best to woo the voters.
UDP candidate Paul Lyngdoh minced no words in taking a dig at his opponent Pala, saying that he was contesting against the Congress candidate who is already ‘wounded’.
“Everyone is aware of the anti- Pala lobby within the Congress and attempts were made by top leaders including the Chief Minister to deny him the ticket. But they finally agreed to allow him to contest after having wounded him,” Lyngdoh said while addressing a public meeting at Pynursla on Thursday.
“There is no joy in contesting against a person who is already wounded.”
“This is almost like you are being put in a boxing ring to fight against a boxer whose limbs have already been broken before the match takes place,” Lyngdoh said.
The UDP candidate also said that the opposition to Pala’s candidature reflects the fact that his party leaders were not satisfied with his performance.
“I want to ask why people should vote in favour of the sitting MP who has lost the trust of his own party men,” Lyngdoh said.
He also said that if people voted in favour of former church leader PBM Basaiawmoit (Independent) it would prove to be futile.
“He (Basaiawmoit) would get lost in the Parliament since no one would give him any importance being an Independent candidate,” the UDP working president said.
Lyngdoh asserted that he was the best possible choice since the UDP is a member of the North East Regional Political Front (NERPF), an alliance of various regional parties from the region.
“The NERPF already has an agreement to support the BJP- led NDA at the Centre. Our voice would be heard well since we are going as one cohesive unit,” he said.
UDP president Dr. Donkupar Roy claimed that the Congress was heading towards its worst ever performance in the upcoming election.
“There are indications that the Congress might face the same fate like in 1977,” Dr. Roy said.
Pala speaks of development
Sitting MP and Congress candidate Vincent H Pala said that he has tried to contribute towards the progress and development of the State in his capacity as an MP in the last five years.
“With the support of the State, I have managed to push forward many major road projects in the State which were pending for the past many years,” Pala said while addressing a meeting organised by the Pynursla Block Congress Committee (PBCC) on Thursday.
He said that the Shillong Bypass, which had been pending for decades, was finally completed in his term while work on the four laning of the Shillong-Guwahati road was on in full swing.
“I am happy that the Shillong-Nongstoin-Tura road would soon become a reality. This is one project which the people of the State especially those from Garo Hills have been waiting for. After the completion of this project, people from Garo Hills would no longer have to pass through Assam to come to Khasi Hills,” the sitting MP said.
Pala also expressed satisfaction that a National Institute of Technology was allotted to the State during his tenure. “The permanent campus of NIT is coming up at Sohra,” he said.
The sitting MP appealed to the people to vote the Congress- led UPA Government back to power at the Centre since many important projects were in the pipeline.
After the Right to Education and Right to Food acts, the Congress- led UPA Government is planning to launch the Right to Health, he said. “We are launching this programme with the aim of providing the best health care facilities for the people of the country.”