With the incumbent Congress now “a dwindling force” and a “divided house”, the United Democratic Party, With the incumbent Congress now “a dwindling force” and a “divided house”, the United Democratic Party, which heads the Opposition, is cock-a-hoop about its prospects in the 2018 Assembly elections given the pre-poll trends and opinions favouring a regional coalition in Meghalaya next year.UDP working president Paul Lyngdoh says the regional alliance will cross the magical figure of 31 as it has the mandate of the people. The former president of Khasi Students’ Union and architect of the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement talks candidly about how the lack of numerical strength in KHNAM had prompted him to scout for a bigger platform (UDP) and more importantly, be with “like-minded” friends to take the agenda of the regional party forward. The alliance with HSPDP, the English postgraduate from NEHU, says was not a marriage of convenience but a marriage of ideas and ideologies.Saurav Bora caught up with the articulate West Shillong MLA at his Mawprem residence on Tuesday afternoon.
Here are the excerpts of the interview:
ST: You were the president of the Khasi Students’ Union, then you formed KHNAM, and now you are in UDP. How do you look at the transformation, from student leader to politician?
Paul: Well…the two are different spheres of activity…student activism is much more simpler…but the basic difference is that, as a student activist, one takes up issues and calls for action from the authorities…but when one is in active politics, you are expected to also provide solutions to problems, which is a much more difficult task to accomplish…As a student leader who has been active for a decade, the general expectations of people become very high ….they measure you by that yardstick.
But when one is part of the government, the ability to respond to problems also depends on the numerical strength that one has…so far, I have not been that fortunate in terms of having the numbers…in the 2003 elections, KHNAM won just two seats…in the second elections in 2008, I was the only winner…in 2013, after joining UDP, our strength was just eight and we were in the Opposition…so I expect that in 2018 we have the numbers so that I am in a position to accomplish better and find solutions to some of the long-standing issues confronting the state.
ST: What made your party ally with the HSPDP?
Paul: See… the HSPDP and the APHLC (All Party Hill Leaders Conference), which is the progenitor of the UDP, are the oldest political parties of the state – both have fought for a separate state from erstwhile Assam, and share a lot of commonality between them…we have been in active politics from the word go…..so to that extent, we are natural allies and have worked together in governments and autonomous district councils in the past.
So…having experienced how a fractured Opposition can easily become weak and cannot take on the government, an alliance was needed to offer the people of Meghalaya a viable alternative to the Congress.
ST: How do you address the rift in the alliance, particularly in constituencies such as Mylliem and Mawkynrew?
Paul: See…Contrary to what has been projected in the media…we have been able to take care of 90 per cent of the constituencies where there has been a tussle for tickets between the UDP and HSPDP….in the open seats, the two parties have a tacit understanding ….so the only constituencies where there is a certain amount of rift, like you said…are Mylliem and Mawkynrew…even in case of the latter the incumbent MLA has agreed and in fact applied for a ticket again …so the problem is hardly in one or two constituencies….
ST: Why has there been a delay on the part of the alliance to come out with a common minimum programme?
Paul: We are on the job…we will time it in such a way that the people do not forget the agenda of the alliance too soon…I think we should be in a position to complete everything by the end of November.
ST: In what way will this election be different in the context of BJP’s presence in Meghalaya?
Paul: Every election is different from the other…but in this case, contrary to the image that the regional parties have had over the decades that they are a divided lot, this time it is the Congress which is a divided house…you have eight Congress MLAs joining NPP, you have the CEM of KHADC, who is a Congressman, forming his own political party, PDF, then you have the NCP which broke away from the Congress. So the divided house tag has shifted to the Congress.
As far as the entry of BJP, it is nothing new…the BJP has held important positions in the home department of Meghalaya in the nineties…. We have had four BJP MLAs in the Assembly once…So the BJP is not a completely new entrant…it is seen as a new entrant post Modi…
ST: Why did UDP, which is a part of North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), not have a pre-poll alliance with the BJP?
Paul: In politics, there is this term called strategic alliance…NEDA is more a platform for development and issues of common relevance to the North East…but as far as issues that are specific to Meghalaya are concerned, we believe that our alliance is committed to them … and we are confident we should be to able to cross the magic number of 31.
ST: HSPDP has not yet committed on working with the BJP after the polls despite UDP leader Bindo Lanong hinting at such as probability. What is your take on it? How about working with the Congress?
Paul: See…there is an old saying of first reaching the bridge and then crossing it….I think it is important that we do that…Today, we are facing the pre-poll scenario, so we will face it with our pre-poll partner…in the post-poll scenario, we will assess the situation and take decisions based on the situation that will emerge at that point of time.
Whatever cooperation and coordination was there with the Congress was in the past…that situation has now changed…Today, it is the regional parties that are growing…in states where the BJP has not made inroads it is the regional parties that hold sway… So the Congress has lost much of its relevance and space across the country…it is a dwindling force….
ST: How do you assess the incumbent Congress-led government?
Paul: Well…it is very disappointing…because when a government cannot perform despite its numerical strength, its shows that somewhere there is a clear lack of focus, leadership and teamwork…in the current house, the Congress and its allies have a strength of 40, a comfortable majority…so why are we failing in education, health, tourism sectors…it’s a total failure…we are losing out on revenue, jobs…
ST: Ugly incidents of political rivalry have come to the fore in your constituency. Your house was attacked yesterday and the CCTV cameras of a Congress leader were vandalized the day before. What is the genesis of it?
Paul: See I think that this degeneration in political life is indicative of the fact that there is an undue influence of money power in electoral politics today….and when the stakes are very high and corporate houses feel that they have not only the wealth but can also buy votes and flex their muscles, this kind of a situation is only a natural outcome…it is a disturbing trend…I feel that every right-thinking citizen of Meghalaya should wake up and ask himself/herself whether this is a trend we should allow to grow in our state…I personally feel that the state should return to value-based politics which can only happen when the influence of money is curbed to the best possible extent.
I also hope the Election Commission wakes up and takes note of the ugly trends that are emerging….if we allow free flow of money, it will drive away conscientious and capable leaders from the political sphere…and if we have an MLA who is elected solely on the strength of his bank balance, then the state is heading for a disaster.
ST: How will you ensure peace in your constituency?
Paul: We have had long innings of peace and tranquility…and today I tell my voters to remember that the UDP is a name of a political party …but to us, and in this constituency, it stands for unity, development and peace…I am committed to those three ideals and I will ensure that with the active support of the constituency, we will continue to enjoy the peace we have enjoyed in the past 15 years.
ST: KHNAM has accused you of “deserting” the regional party of which you were the architect, for your personal gain. How do you react to the charge?
Paul: Well… some comments are best ignored…The people know very well how sincerely I had tried to strengthen KHNAM…in 2003, two of us were elected to the Assembly…in 2005 after I had serious differences with the Cabinet over MBOSE…I wanted the board to be strengthened, but that didn’t happen …so I resigned from the Cabinet …and I clearly remember leaders of a huge public rally in Malki telling me that you are our hero now….you have the guts to quit over a matter of principle…so next time around, we will get you the money and the candidates and KHNAM will be in a comfortable position…
In 2008, from the strength of two MLAs, I was alone…so what choice do you have when you are alone ….a number of important decisions were taken where I had a difference of opinion….but being alone, my voice was ignored…so I looked for options …in politics, the instinct for survival is very important…I didn’t have a choice but to look for a bigger platform where I can have like-minded friends..That’s how I decided along with my supporters to join the UDP.
ST: What was the reason for dissolving KHNAM just a few months ahead of the 2013 polls though there were two MLAs, including you?
Paul: It was the outcome of the realisation that KHNAM as a political party could not survive on its own and we needed the numerical strength to push our agenda through…there is not much difference with what the UDP and the HSPDP want… …it’s not a marriage of convenience but of ideas, ideologies and issues.
ST: After the 1998 polls, the UDP had 20 MLAs. What is the reason for the party’s slide in the subsequent elections?
Paul: You see, the factors are many…but the important point after we hit rock bottom is that we could only rise from there… our rise has started and we are sure to be in the seat of power in 2018…the Congress is just a shadow of its past…so, that being the situation there is no force on earth that can prevent the UDP from being the dominant party.
ST: When you were in KSU, you had demanded ILP and opposed the rail project. Is there any change of stance now?
Paul: Our stand will be based on merit. These are complex issues..they need to be discussed threadbare…I can assure you that our approach will be to strike a balance in maintaining the demographic structure of Meghalaya along with development.
Regarding the rail project, we are for introduction of goods trains to Brynihat which will be beneficial to the economy…I am not in favour of passenger trains…there is a valid fear that passenger trains will lead to influx of illegal migrants.
ST: Two regional party leaders, Ardent Basaiawmoit and Adelbert Nongrum, had said they were not against genuine non tribals in Meghalaya. Do you feel the same or is it just a pre-election statement?
Paul: I believe that genuine permanent non-tribals are part and parcel of Meghalaya and cannot be clubbed with migrant labourers or illegal immigrants…we need to work out the modalities of a system whereby we are able to have a clear cut definition of genuine non-tribals as opposed to temporary settlers and illegal immigrants, who should be thrown out of the state.
ST: Do you feel that MLAs should improve infrastructure such as roads and bridges rather than their customary practice of distributing utility items?
Paul: MLAs are subject to a lot of pressure…with the concept of inclusive governance not having taken firm roots, people still look up to their legislators as benefactors and distributors of items..It is unfair to put the blame on MLAs alone as they too are part and parcel of the society…In my constituency, over 90 per cent of the development funds go towards improving infrastructure and creation of community assets.
ST: The Opposition led by UDP is blamed for not being pro-active to expose the loopholes of the Congress-led MUA government. What is the reason for it?
Paul: I think it is a very unfair charge…because in the course of two years, the Opposition has been extremely active…we have brought in no-confidence motions against the government twice, we have brought a no-trust motion against the Speaker…these things have not happened in the past…but people expect more from performers.
ST: Going by the current political trend, what is in store for Meghalaya next year?
Paul: I see a clear advantage for the regional alliance…your newspaper had carried two opinion polls favouring the regional parties…so it is not Paul Lyngdoh saying this alone, but your readers too…(Smiles)