SHILLONG: In an oblique reference to the next leadership in Meghalaya, National People’s Party president and Tura MP Conrad Sangma said people like Pynursla MLA Prestone Tynsong were capable of leading the state.
“There are capable leaders today who can lead our state. Even people like Prestone Tynsong who has been politically sidelined by Mukul (Sangma), are people who are capable of leading the state,” he said.
Conrad visited Pynursla on Saturday to attend the formation of the NPP’s Block Committee and confirm its office bearers. Party sources later told reporters that around 4,400 people enrolled in the party as primary members.
The NPP national president reminded 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 High Command for not listening to MLAs and party leaders who had rushed to Delhi in the past, Conrad said, “Bah Prestone will tell you how many times they had complained against the leadership of the party here and tried to meet the (Congress) chief and vice president but they could not meet them to complain about the leadership here.”
“In NPP, the High Command comes to you… 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.
NPP member James Sangma lauded the charisma of Tynsong for his ability to bring about development in his constituency.
Taking a dig at Assembly Speaker AT Mondal, who represents Phulbari constituency, James said, “The roads in Phulbari are so bad that most people think of growing paddy in them.”
Conrad also took an opportunity at Pynursla to attack the Congress and its leaders.
The NPP chief said Chief Minister Mukul Sangma was facing one of the biggest political challenges ever. “Dr Mukul is so scared that he is contesting from two constituencies and I can assure you that he will lose in both,” he said.
Stating that the Congress is not being able to run their party properly, Conrad ridiculed the party for not having been able to put up candidates in some constituencies.
“I had asked the people of Amlarem constituency as to how many candidates were contesting in the constituency. They said they had Stephan Mukhim, then Lakmen Rymbui from UDP and RL Tariang from BJP,” Conrad said while sharing his experience at Amlarem.
“And when I asked about Congress, they said, nobody wants to take Congress ticket,” he added.
James alleged that the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee acted in a “dictatorial manner” by dissolving the Pynursla Block Congress Committee.
Asserting that development in the state was only concentrated in Ampati, the chief minister’s constituency, he pointed out that the Agricultural University that was sanctioned for Ri Bhoi was diverted to Ampati.
“Dr Mukul Sangma is not the chief minister of Meghalaya but he is the chief minister only of Ampati,” he said.
Singh too said Mukul “is acting more like a dictator than a leader.”
“I am told that he is currently holding 19 portfolios. With that, what is left for the others?” he asked.
The chief minister is currently holding the departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Commerce and Industries, Mining and Geology, Tourism, Personnel, Finance and portfolios not allotted to other ministers.
Tynsong held the departments of Border Areas Development and District Council Affairs, which are currently not held by any minister.
Another dropped minister, Sniawbhalang Dhar, also held the department of Legal Metrology, which is also currently not held by any minister.
Centre not interested in NE
Meanwhile, Manipur deputy chief minister and NPP leader Yumnam Joykumar Singh said national parties and others at the Centre consider the North East as a liability.
“The government at the Centre 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 on any of the national parties, be it Congress, BJP or JD(U),” Singh said.
“Our party is the only party that can take care of the North East,” he said.
NPP not a Garo party
Taking a jibe at people who criticise NPP for being a Garo party, Conrad said in a sarcastic note, “Yes, NPP is a Garo party because the Deputy Chief Minister in Manipur is Joykumar Sangma (Singh).”
“This is politics and the Congress will always play such politics,” he added.
Conrad informed the gathering that NPP has a presence in more than 10 states of the country with four MLAs in Rajasthan and four ministers in Manipur, MLAs in Meghalaya and units in Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
“NPP is not just a Garo party as people are saying but it is a party of the tribals, of the North East people and the minorities,” he said.
Similarly, Singh said the party would make inroads into other states like Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh and become a pan-North East party.
