SHILLONG: Nongkrem MDC H.S Shylla on Thursday demanded UDP president Donkupar Roy’s resignation saying the alliance stitched with HSPDP “is a blunder” and will destroy the party.
Addressing a press conference, Shylla said the coming together of only two regional parties is not enough and other local entities should also be invited into the fold.
“Roy did not consult the party on the UDP-HSPDP alliance. He did not consult the matter with Bindo Lanong, who is the senior-most leader, or Paul Lyngdoh or Jemino Mawthoh,” said the UDP’s district council member from Nongkrem.
Asserting that either Lanong or Lyngdoh should take over the charge of leadership from Roy, Shylla said the alliance should be revoked before reconsideration by “an able president”.
“I will speak the truth. Prior to the district council by-election, Roy found that Basaiawmoit was going from strength to strength, which frightened him,” he added.
The pre-poll alliance between UDP and HSPDP has been termed as ‘historic’ by regional parties.
He went on saying that both Roy and Basaiawmoit were anxious to retain their respective seats of Shella and Nongkrem, which prompted the leaders to forge a pre-poll alliance.
He said Roy should take responsibility as UDP is on the edge of ruins due to the ‘hasty’ decision. “Till date I am still a UDP member but it is Roy who should resign as UDP president,” he added.
The Central Executive Committee (CEC) on May 25 was supposed to hold a meeting to discuss on the review petition of the four rebel MDCs who chose to remain with the People’s Democratic Forum while the UDP high command decided to withdraw support, Shylla said.
He pointed out that there was no clear discussion on pre-poll alliance as he thought that CEC would take the issue only in principle. “CEC did not discuss their (rebel MDCs Donkupar Sumer, Teinwell Dkhar, Arbinus Lyngdoh and Equator Nongrang) issue. It is not a one-step decision to consider a pre-poll alliance.
“This is the failure of the UDP president and his decision will destroy UDP,” he said.
On the united regional front, Shylla stressed on all-party alliance, including PDF.
“Only two parties are not enough. The other parties should also be called including PDF. If it is only HSDPD and UDP, then it is their private business,” he said.
He alleged that it is the individual decision of Roy to venture on a pre-poll alliance with HSPDP.
“I decided not to contest the 2018 elections and allow HSPDP’s Ardent on the condition that the regional coalition would lead to a unity of regional parties – UDP, KHNAM, HSPDP and perhaps PDF,” the UDP leader said.
