SHILLONG: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping for a good show in Garo Hills in next year’s Assembly elections.
BJP president Shibun Lyngdoh said the party is “very strong” in the plain belt of Garo Hills where it has completed its organisational structure in eight constituencies.
“We are not doing badly even in the hill areas of the region and we have good base there in at least 5-6 constituencies,” he said.
According to Lyngdoh, Garo Hills region, which has 24 seats, will see a strong fight among BJP, Congress and NPP and “we will win good number of seats”.
“My mission is to secure 40 seats so that we can form the government here,” he said.
On being asked about the communal colour of the party, the BJP state chief said such claims on social media are propaganda.
“Even our Tourism Minister KL Alphons clearly asked for proof of any atrocity against Muslims and Christians in the country in the last three-and-a-half years of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government,” he added.
In the 2013 Assembly polls, the Congress completely swept Garo Hills region and this time too, the party is hoping for a rerun.
Taking a jibe at UDP leader Bindo M Lanong for “reminding” the saffron party to respect the Constitution of India, the state BJP termed the senior leader’s statement as “inappropriate propaganda” and questioned the basis of the remark. “The BJP respects the Indian Constitution’s ideology of secularism. The party need not be reminded by Bindo Lanong with his endeavour to cloak a religious taboo against the BJP, a propaganda which is not appropriate in modern times,” BJP Meghalaya vice-president, JA Lyngdoh said.
He said that Lanong should give evidence as where the BJP has not respected the Constitution and brought disrepute to the people with different cultures and traditions.
Lyngdoh said that as citizens of the country, each and every moment, they are respecting the Constitution, which is the holy book for all Indians.
According to Lyngdoh, BJP is a national party and that it is usual to see national leaders frequenting the state with an aim to take away power from the Congress in the state. “Even Congress leaders are doing the same to come back to power in 2018,” he said.
“The people of the state would like to know from Bindo M Lanong, a team B player of the Congress, as to why he is not questioning the Congress,” the BJP leader said.
