SHILLONG: Dropping an apparent hint at change of leadership in the state, the National People’s Party (NPP) leader and Tura MP, Conrad Sangma said that leaders like Pynursla MLA, Prestone Tynsong would be able to lead the state.
Conrad visited Pynursla on Saturday to attend the formation of Block Committee of the NPP and confirmation of its office bearers in Pynursla in which, party sources informed, around 4400 people got enrolled in the party as primary members.
“There are capable leaders today who can lead our state. Even persons like Prestone Tynsong who has been completely politically exploited by Mukul (Sangma), are people who are capable of leading the state,” he said.
Conrad reminded the people that Pynursla constituency had produced great leaders in the past and mentioned late Chief Minister, BB Lyngdoh as one of them.
Criticising the Congress MLAs and political party leaders who have to rush to Delhi to meet the high command, Conrad said, “Bah Prestone Tynsong will tell you how many times they had complained against the leadership of the party here and tried to meet the (Congress) party president and vice president but they could not meet them to complain about the leadership out here.”
“In the NPP, the High Command comes to you, don’t have to go to the High Command. We are a party that believes that the leadership must be close to its party leaders and workers and the public,” he added.
James lauded the charisma of Tynsong who has been able to facilitate development in his constituency and compared Pynursla constituency with Phulbari constituency represented by the Speaker of the Assembly, AT Mondal.
He flayed the road condition of Phulbari and said, “The roads are so bad that most people think of growing paddy rice on that kind of road.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur, Yumnam Joy Kumar Singh, recalled his services as an IPS officer and stated that national parties and others at the Center consider the North East to be a liability.
He said, “The government at the Center has not been interested in developing the North East. We in the North East will have to take care of ourselves and we cannot look upon or depend any of the national party, be it Congress, BJP or JD (U).” He added, “Our party is the only party that can take care of the North East.”
NPP not a Garo party: Taking a jibe at people who criticise the NPP as being a Garo party, the party leader Conrad Sangma said, “Yes, NPP is a Garo Party because the Deputy Chief Minister in Manipur is Joy Kumar Sangma (Singh).”
“This is politics and Congress will always play this politics,” he added.
Conrad informed the gathering that the NPP was present in more than 10 states of the country and had 4 MLAs in Rajasthan and 4 Ministers in Manipur, MLAs in Meghalaya and units in Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
“NPP is not just a Garo Party as some people are describing it, but a party of the tribal people of the North East and the minorities,” he said.
Similarly, Singh said that the party has plans to make inroads to other states like Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and make it a pan-North East party.