He might have joined the political bandwagon as late as 2009, but two-time Congress Lok Sabha MP from He might have joined the political bandwagon as late as 2009, but two-time Congress Lok Sabha MP from Shillong, Vincent H. Pala, is experienced and seasoned enough to predict that while the Opposition camp is going hammer and tongs at the incumbent government’s “poor report card”, there is more to it than meets the eye. Pala’s personal view is that a fractured mandate is likely in the 2018 Assembly elections in Meghalaya, but Congress, with its strong organisation, will still have more seats than any other party, more so with people believing in the party.Despite a hectic schedule, the former Union Minister, who had graduated in civil engineering from Bengal, spent over half an hour with The Shillong Times to discuss the prospects of his party in the coming elections, role of the Opposition and other issues. Saurav Bora caught up with the stylish 49-year-old Congress MP in the city on Thursday afternoon.
Here are the excerpts of the interview:
ST: Cracks appear to have surfaced in the Congress in Meghalaya with two Cabinet ministers dropped, veterans along with several others hinting at leaving the party and blocks dissolved. Do you think that the party is on the back foot, and, with just a few months left for the Assembly elections, can it resurrect itself?
Pala: See, if leaders such as Rowell Lyngdoh, Prestone Tynsong and Sniawbhalang Dhar do leave the party, it will definitely have an impact…but the Congress being a well organised party and with experienced leaders like Bah Lapang, it is capable of putting up a good fight. As a matter of fact, this is not the first time leaders have left the party… PA Sangma, for instance, had left the Congress. Besides, the MPCC chief has done well to have eligible people as replacements for those who were removed from the posts. So, while in certain constituencies, our prospects might seem to be affected, the overall impact if any one leaves the party will not be bad.
ST: But are the odds stacked against you this time?
Pala: See….I would say that if there are any odds against the Congress, other parties too have similar challenges…BJP is saying that nine MLAs are joining their party, but till now they have not…Voters here are smart enough to understand why parties are allying with the other…So, they too have their limitations…members join different parties as per their convenience.
Now, there are two big parties in the fray this time, PDF and the BJP. So I think the anti-Congress votes will be divided among other parties.
ST: Is it a strategic move on the part of the BJP to postpone party president Amit Shah’s visit to Shillong in a bid to allow more time for members to join the party?
Pala: (Smiles)…I cannot comment much about the BJP…This says that all’s not well in the BJP also….That’s my personal observation.
ST: Will the Modi wave have a say in Meghalaya?
Pala: See, it will be difficult for BJP to penetrate some areas…Even the Congress faces the same proposition. But, I don’t think the Modi wave will have any say here…The BJP will take time….In fact, whoever comes, will take time to convince the electorate in some constituencies…
ST: Regional parties are talking about the alliance gaining strength? Do you agree?
Pala: There is practically no alliance…In Mawkynrew and Sohra for instance, several parties are fielding candidates…So the question of alliance does not arise…it is for the convenience of two-three leaders only that the arrangement has been made… not for the parties.
ST: UDP leader Paul Lyngdoh has alleged that the Congress is a divided house, a dwindling force and a non-performer despite numerical strength. What’s your take?
Pala: It is not the first time that Bah Paul has said this…Now, the performance of a state government especially in Meghalaya depends on who is at the Centre as the funds have to be released on time…In Meghalaya, where it rains for six months in a year, the state has to depend on the government at the Centre for timely execution of the projects…So, it’s not a fair assessment….Bah Paul has been a minister… so he knows…
ST: What do you have to say to parties saying that Meghalaya is no longer the education hub it was and that is just a “degree shop”?
Pala: I don’t agree….Students from Meghalaya have done very well outside the state….I don’t think the quality has dipped….teachers and principals change and the new set may take time to live up to the standards of their predecessors…But, compared to other states, the quality of education in Meghalaya is still better…
ST: The Opposition has lambasted the incumbent government on the poor state of the economy after the ban on coal mining. How do you prove them wrong?
Pala: See… there is a confusion and the BJP has to clarify…coal is a Central subject but land belongs to private parties…so who owns the coal?…Here in Meghalaya, nobody is against coal mining…a resolution was passed by the Assembly saying that there is a Clause 12/ Section A under which the President has the power to notify that mining in tribal areas should be excluded from the other parts of India…but that has not been accepted by the government of India…if that is accepted, then half the problem is solved…so it’s not fair to blame the Congress for the economy being affected…the government in the state has its limitations…Therefore, the Centre and the state has to act together.
ST: BJP national spokesperson and party in charge in Meghalaya, Nalin Kohli, had recently said that if the party came to power, it would try to solve the mining issue in just six to eight months. What’s your opinion?
Pala: I don’t agree with Kohli, who is a friend of mine….the BJP has made so many promises…. of providing Rs 15 lakh in every account….making national highways in Manipur…of normalising the situation in 60 days post demonetisation … but they have failed to live up to all of them.
Kohli has been a lawyer for the coal miners association to plead in Supreme Court and NGT…but it has been more than six months now and no solution has come out…. In fact, the BJP government has not been able to solve the problem for the past three years…
Limestone was a state subject…but after the BJP came to power, it became a major mineral. So, the Centre has taken away the rights of the state…Limestone becomes a major mineral when it is used for construction/export but a minor mineral when lime is produced…Here too, the BJP has to clarify…..
ST: Ten Meghalaya medical students were denied admissions in Assam. Could the Meghalaya government have handled the situation better?
Pala: See, after the BJP came to power in Assam, they have done away with the reservation quota that was there for states that do not have medical colleges…I met the Assam health minister in Delhi and he said the decision was taken on the basis of the fact that the state has NEIGRIHMS…but I said that NEIGRIHMS was for the entire region and there are only nine seats for Meghalaya… so it was an intentional move on Assam’s part, which is wrong. Later, when he realized the mistake, he said the admissions would be given next year because the MCI deadline was August 31…So, while I don’t know the current position, the Supreme Court may give a ruling in favour of the students.
ST: Do you believe there is anti-incumbency here?
Pala: See…in Meghalaya, it’s all about the face value the candidates bring in…people in Meghalaya are smart enough to know who is performing….The dynamics is different, as they say, and I agree that it is more personality-centric than party-centric…
ST: What will be the party’s agenda?
Pala: I can say about my job (as MP) that is to mainly look into the national level projects-national highways, institutions such as NEIGRIHMS…projects in the health and education sectors…….I am trying my best to do within my limitations…to ensure that all roads in Meghalaya are well connected..I have managed to sanction a few of them…but the process of conducting survey, land acquisition and construction will take seven to eight years….We got the Shillong airport sanctioned in the previous government…but land acquisition was a problem and people went to the Supreme Court…however now, work has started…. the airport should have the facilities in two years.
ST: Will the Congress ally with other parties in case of a fractured mandate?
Pala: (Smiles) My personal view is that there will be a fractured mandate…It’s not bad to have a fractured mandate in a democracy as there will be a role for many parties…But I still feel that despite the talk of anti-incumbency, the people will trust the Congress more….But whoever forms the government, will have a tough time to resurrect things to where they should be…
ST: How many seats will the Congress win?
Pala: (Smiles) Too early to say…we can predict only when parties declare their candidates….But I think the Congress will still have more seats than other parties..