The BJP believes that the “Modi wave” that saw the national party clinch power in the country in 2014 and subsequently gain a The BJP believes that the “Modi wave” that saw the national party clinch power in the country in 2014 and subsequently gain a foothold in the northeastern states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, will spread to Meghalaya as well. Meghalaya BJP president Shibun Lyngdoh is certain that the party’s single-point agenda, “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas!”, will be key to their objective of “Mission 40” (to win 40 seats) in next year’s Assembly elections and help them wrest power in the state.Barely five months ahead of the elections, the saffron party is confident that the entry of new MLAs to their fold is an indication of its growing strength in the Christian-majority state of Meghalaya. Lyngdoh, for his part, has been working hard and meeting people across the state. He says that the party is leaving no stone unturned to reach out to the people.Saurav Bora met the young political leader for a one-on-one at the party’s office in Lower Lachumiere on Friday.
Here are excerpts of the interview:
ST: There is the talk of BJP being new to Meghalaya which might work against the party. What do you say to that?
Shibun: In politics, there is nothing such as a new party. People follow Modi ji wherever he goes. The Modi wave has spread to Meghalaya also.
ST: What are your views on the entry of Independent MLAs to BJP fold?
Shibun: With the government at the Centre and the party wresting power in three north-eastern states, the BJP has gained more strength (in the region). Now, with the two Independent MLAs joining the party, I can only say that the BJP is growing stronger in Meghalaya.
ST: The Congress alleges that the BJP has misled them (the two Independent MLAs), as well as the people, by promising to lift the NGT mining ban within six months of coming to power in Meghalaya. What do you have to say to that?
Shibun: See… our spokesperson Nalin Kohliji had said at a press conference here that if you vote for the BJP we will try to find a solution (against the coal ban) in six to eight months of coming to power. There was no such promise as the Congress is alleging. On the other hand, the Congress has even after three and a half years of the NGT ban on coal, done nothing.
ST: Are there any more MLAs joining the BJP?
Shibun: Ahead of the visit of our national president (Amit Shah) that was scheduled on August 12, six to eight MLAs had sent feelers that they want to be with the BJP. However, due to the Presidential, Vice-Presidential and Rajya Sabha elections, Amit ji could not come…We are yet to finalise the date of his visit.
ST: Will such entries to the party boost its chances in the 2018 Assembly polls?
Shibun: Definitely…It shows that the MLAs who are elected by the people will try to align with the BJP because they want power and development in their constituencies. But, whether they will get tickets or not, we cannot say now.
ST: BJP will announce candidates only in December. Will it not be too late for the candidates to familiarize with barely two months time for the elections? Shibun: We will call for applications from aspirants in October, the final scrutiny will be done in November and the tickets given in December. I don’t think so it will be late, because, if you take my instance, I barely had a few days to prepare for the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, but I managed.
ST: With new MLAs in the party fold, will there be a clash for tickets?
Shibun: See…whoever the party thinks is eligible and competent will get tickets….That his how the party works here.
ST: Will the party welcome former party man AL Hek back to BJP?
Shibun: The decision of taking any MLA lies with the national leadership. I happened to be in Delhi, so I took a chance to take the Independent MLAs to Amit Shah ji. But, I can assure you that people with party ideology as opposed to those hungry for power, will be welcomed.
ST: In 1998, you had three MLAs. What is the reason for BJP not being able to spread its network in Meghalaya?
Shibun: In 1998, we had a coalition NDA government under Atal ji at the Centre… The partners (20-odd parties) did not give the BJP a free hand to function. After 2004, when government was out of power in Delhi, BJP had no roots here…gradually we lost our organisational base in Meghalaya. And when there is no MLA, we cannot expect people in the party.
ST: What about a pre-poll alliance with likeminded parties?
Shibun: Well, last year, the party had created a platform for coalition parties, North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA)…which will have a great role to play in terms of a pre-poll or post-poll alliance. So, I cannot say right now whether we will have such an alliance. But we expect a meeting in this regard soon.
ST: How many seats will the party contest out of 60 and how many do you expect to win?
Shibun: (Smiles) We are contesting all… we expect to form the government. In terms of seats, we are working for “Mission 40”. We are not resting…we are meeting people across the state as we feel this is a crucial period.
ST: What would be the agenda of the BJP in the elections? Will there be a change from the Centre’s stand in the context of the beef ban and religious intolerance since Meghalaya is a Christian-majority state?
Shibun: Our agenda across the country is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas!”. The same applies here. We believe in overall development. We believe in serving the people. That’s the only promise that we will make to the people now.
There will be no change in our stance…we are not a party to divide people in the name of caste, creed or religion… We believe in the Constitution of India, which is our sacred book.
ST: Will the beef ban, religious intolerance and cow-related violence in other parts of the country affect poll prospects of the BJP in Meghalaya?
Shibun: That’s all propaganda…Where is the beef ban? (On the contrary) Any person found harming people in the name of protecting a cow, will be punished.
ST: Statistics put out by the RBI has kind of destroyed the rationale for the Modi government’s demonetization move as 99 per cent of the old notes have come to the banking system. Could there have been a better mechanism to check hoarding of black money?
Shibun: What PM Narendra Modi has done was a courageous move. As a result, almost everyone in India has bank accounts today. We are working for a ‘Digital India’.
ST: In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, you got more votes from urban constituencies. Does it mean that there are more BJP supporters in the city?
Shibun: Yes. People in the urban areas are literate and better informed.