The incumbent Congress has belittled the anti-incumbency factor playing a role in next year’s Assembly election. Instead, the party The incumbent Congress has belittled the anti-incumbency factor playing a role in next year’s Assembly election. Instead, the party believes that the Congress-led MUA government’s “delivery” in containing insurgency and empowering rural people with jobs besides achievements in healthcare and education sectors over the past five years will help them retain power in 2018. Urban affairs and municipal administration minister Ronnie V. Lyngdoh, who had won from Mylliem constituency in the 2008 and 2013 elections and was inducted in the Mukul Sangma Cabinet last year is certain that the party will cross the halfway mark (30 seats) in the 2018 polls as the people still believe in the Congress as a party that embraces inclusiveness and diversity, be it culture, religious faith or food habits. Saurav Bora caught up with the suave Congress leader at the Meghalaya Secretariat for an exclusive interview.
Here are the excerpts of the interview:
ST: How is the party (Congress) preparing for the polls?
Ronnie V. Lyngdoh: We are absolutely prepared… (pauses) ….You see, the Congress, like an organization, is spread to the grassroots level ….it’s not that party wakes up only ahead of the elections. We have committees at the block, district and the PCC levels. The interaction between the committees has been going on throughout and not just now. So we are always organized. Our job is to not just fight elections but serve the people, even in constituencies where we don’t have elected MLAs.
ST: How many of the 60 seats (Cong is contesting) do you think your party will win?
Ronnie: We are going to get majority…we will cross the halfway mark (30 seats)… because of the work that we’ve done. We have always embraced inclusiveness and diversity, be it culture, religious faith or food habits. On the contrary, people have realized that since the BJP came to power at the Centre, there has been a climate of fear in the country, where dissent is not tolerated. So many things were taken for granted during the Congress rule, such as freedom speech, expression, worship, et al. But now you cannot. There is no inclusiveness.
ST: What will be your agenda in the election?
Ronnie: You are all aware that we have introduced so many innovative schemes for overall development in the rural areas. For example, one is the Integrated Basin Development Livelihood Mission (IBDLM), under which we have empowered farmers in various sectors, agriculture, horticulture, dairy, etc. In my constituency, Mylliem, under the scheme, we have provided subsidy on loan component to 165 dairy farmers to procure two cattle each. This scheme introduced by the chief minister will bring about a big change in the rural areas in the next few years and we intend to continue with it. We have got to support people that are already familiar with.
ST: Do you think that the anti-incumbency factor will work against your chances?
Ronnie: You see, anti incumbency comes when you don’t deliver. But we have delivered.
ST: Do you think the move to drop two Cabinet ministers, Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar, just a few months away from the Assembly elections, besides the dissolution of many block Congress committees, would work against your chances?
Ronnie: No. Dropping and inducting is part of the political process. For example, I was only inducted about a year back. The whole purpose of this exercise is to allow MLAs to learn the nuances of governance. Now, this is my second term as MLA and I have learnt a lot after I was inducted in the ministry.
The dissolution of the block committees is a party matter. I think the party leadership may have found it fit to revamp and rejuvenate the committees at the block level. May be, they were not working up to the expectations of the party or the people.
ST: In a nutshell can you list the major achievements of the Congress-led MUA government in the past five years. Will it help the party retain power?
Ronnie: We have improved a lot of infrastructure. We have tried to improve the health and education sectors. Our endeavour has been to bring the administration closer to the people…we have created four new districts. Besides, we have created civil subdivisions and set up more community and rural development blocks, which play an important role in the areas, set up new police stations and administrative units. More importantly, insurgency has been wiped off…Insurgency in Garo Hills has been contained and we have created a new force (SF 10) to deal with it. So, we have achieved a lot in five years and I believe the people are aware. Yes, our achievements will help our chances in the elections.
ST: Regional parties and the BJP are claiming that they would form the government. What is your view?
Ronnie: There is no harm for parties to dream. But I don’t think their dreams will come true.
ST: What is your view of the expansion activities of the BJP, such as getting Independent MLAs in their fold?
Ronnie: The Independent MLAs have been deceived by the BJP that the ban on coal mining would be lifted six months after the party comes to power. The ban was imposed by the National Green Tribunal, which is a quasi judicial body. So how can you anticipate that it would be lifted? Is that not deceiving the people?
ST: You are very critical of the BJP and its agenda. What is the reason for it?
Ronnie: Well, like I said, I have been critical because the BJP is very good in making promises…But they are never kept. They had promised two crore jobs, but now they are in their third year and I don’t see the jobs…In fact unemployment has gone up. The BJP was critical of MNREGA, a scheme that helped generate jobs for rural people. Besides, the BJP has always imposed their ideas on people … demonetisation has not only affected people but it has deceived them. They could have come out with a better mechanism (to curb black money).
ST: What will be the post-poll scenario if there is a fractured mandate – whether the Congress will form an alliance with like-minded parties?
Ronnie: There is no question of a fractured mandate….(pauses)
ST: Do you foresee a Manipur/Goa-like situation where the BJP did not allow the Congress to form the government despite emerging the single-largest party in the states?
Ronnie: The BJP did not respect the mandate of the people. The people of Manipur and Goa voted for the Congress. Is this not corruption? In fact, this is corruption of the worst kind, as you are tampering with the democratic convention that has been followed for so many years. The Congress has never resorted to such a practice.
ST: UDP leader Bindo Lanong, in an interview with ST on Tuesday had leveled corruption charges against the CM and a couple of Cabinet ministers, including Ampareen Lyngdoh. What do you have to say to that?
Ronnie: (Pauses) …Let him prove the charges (against CM)… As regards the minister being charged with teacher’s scam, the matter is sub judice.