TURA: The BJP’s proposed Karyakarta Sammelan meeting for its booth level workers at Betasing on Thursday afternoon was cancelled at the last minute after the district administration in Ampati denied the party permission citing late submission of its application to hold a gathering triggering angry protests from senior leaders who accused Chief Minister Mukul Sangma of orchestrating the episode.
The BJP’s Ampati candidate, Bakul Hajong, was supposed to address the party workers and supporters at the Betasing playground.
“The 53-Ampatigre Youth Welfare Organisation had organised the sammelan to welcome my candidature and our party had submitted an application seeking permission for the meeting with the deputy commissioner at around 10:30 AM. Although the meeting was to take place at 1:30 in the afternoon we were denied permission,” informed Bakul Hajong, who resigned from the post of Director of Sericulture and Weaving to take on chief minister Mukul Sangma from Ampati in next year’s elections.
The BJP’s state president of its kisan Morcha and former MLA K C Boro, who was also due to address the rally, lashed out at the chief minister for the incident.
“This was political interference by the chief minister in his constituency who even directed a magistrate to the venue to prevent the meeting from going ahead,” alleged Boro.
“The BJP candidate Bakul Hajong will definitely will give a befitting reply to the Chief Minister in the
Assembly polls and Bakul will defeat Mukul,” Boro added. However, the South West Garo Hills district administration has a different take on the incident.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, Deputy Commissioner Cyril V D Diengdoh said that the organizers of the public meeting had submitted their application seeking permission only at the eleventh hour which was not possible to be cleared as the matter was forwarded to the Superintendent of Police for his report on the security apparatus. He dismissed the BJP charge that the application was submitted at 10:30 in the morning stating that it had reached him only around 11:45 AM.
“There is a procedure to be followed when seeking permission for public meetings. In this case the permission was sought at the last hour which could not be granted until a report from the SP was received. We were also informed that the final examinations were taking place in the school next to the playground where the meeting was to take place. So we had asked them to reschedule the meeting and they had agreed,” said the deputy commissioner.
The district police chief, Bobby W Momin, when contacted also said that it was not possible to allow the meeting at the last minute since police had to also arrange security for the rally. “I was also informed by the police officer in charge of Betasing about ongoing school examinations next to the venue,” Momin said.
A crowd of around two thousand BJP supporters who had waited since noon to take part in the rally initially refused to leave the ground on hearing of the meeting’s cancellation. It was left to the party candidate Bakul Hajong and K C Boro to convince them to disperse with an assurance that another rally would be held in the coming days.
“People have waited patiently for us and now they are angry with the denial of permission which everyone knows had a political hand behind it. This anger will translate into votes for the BJP,” Hajong said.
