A political party is known by the public engagement of its members. Unfortunately, the BJP supremo in Meghalaya seems to believe in the adage, “Silence is golden” and allows other members of the Party who are yet to prove their electoral credentials to lash out at critics. There is a genuine feeling by many voters that Meghalaya is due for a change. The Congress has held the reins of governance for far too long , so much so it has taken the electorate for granted. The regional parties are plagued by inherent contradictions and have never been able to give fair competition to the Congress. In the past, regional parties have succumbed to Congress wiles and guiles and have agreed to share power only to play second fiddle since the decision to appoint a chief minister is taken by the Congress High Command and not by the MLAs who have won the elections and who have come together to form a coalition government. Congress governments in Meghalaya have been plagued by corruption and nepotism. The people of this state deserve better representatives who can bring change in the governance system of and also push through important legislations.
Many significant Bills which should have been passed so that better laws are in place and for more robust governance, are kept pending. The Meghalaya Mining and Minerals Bill is hanging fire thereby, leaving a governance vacuum which the National Green tribunal is trying to enforce, rather unsuccessfully. Without a road map on the mode of extraction of minerals in Meghalaya and the resultant effect of rat hole mining which the NGT has pointed out times without number, how can the State Government continue to plead for resumption of mining activities? Then there is the Social Audit Bill which would have empowered the communities to audit the implementation of all government projects and programmes and put them through the filters of physical and financial achievements in their area. This Bill too is pending. It seems therefore that the Congress government is shying away from pushing through pro-people legislations. What do we infer from such ambivalence? We can only conclude that the Congress Government is much more interested in holding on to power without accountability. Into this bleak scenario there is need for an alternative political party with the vision to make Meghalaya a progressive state and which can spell out that vision unambiguously. Is the BJP poised to provide that kind of leadership?