TURA: Congress candidate Dikkanchi D. Shira moved her campaign towards the southern region of Garo Hills, another bastion of the NPP, holding rallies and meeting voters at Siju, Nangalbibra, Jadigittim and Baghmara on Wednesday.
The opposition NPP candidate Conrad K. Sangma was at Dadenggre to address a public rally in the oldest civil sub-division of Garo Hills where elder brother James is currently the elected representative in the State legislature.
Conrad also visited Damal Asim, Sadolpara and Tebronggre to meet with supporters on the same day. The visit of the NPP candidate to these areas comes less than two days after Dikkanchi Shira toured the same region.
Both parties are making attempts to derail each other’s political game plan through such counter measures.
After Conrad launched his election campaign from Adokgre, Dikkanchi and the Congress arrived shortly after at the same venue to soften the opposition’s campaign blows.
At her political rallies in South Garo Hills, Dikkanchi continued her tirade against the NPP founder P.A. Sangma and its ally the BJP.
“Whatever position Late P.A. Sangma achieved was during his tenure with the Congress. The Congress has always given space to its leaders to grow whereas the BJP is a party which has no room for minorities,” said Dikkanchi.
Countering the Congress from Dadenggre was Conrad K. Sangma.
“The Congress candidate claims that it was the Congress party which helped my late father rise in the political arena. But the truth is that it was our late leader who made the Congress shine in the North East,” said Conrad while speaking to The Shillong Times on the allegations leveled against his late father by the Congress.
“In 1977 P.A. Sangma rose to the occasion to contest the MP elections after all senior Congress leaders had declined to do so fearing voters’ anger against then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for declaring an emergency in the country.
Dozens of senior Congress MPs were defeated and the party lost power to the Janata Party government. Despite the overwhelming wave in favour of the opposition Janata Party, P.A. Sangma was one among few Congress candidates to win the election. I believe history will prove my father right and the Congress wrong,” said Conrad.
He also added that it was his late father who had worked tirelessly against a strong regional APHLC party in the late 70s’ to boost the Congress in Meghalaya which ultimately resulted in the regional party disappearing from the political scenario of the State.
