Power shift looms in Congress bastion

From Saurav Bora

JOWAI: A first-timer to this quaint West Jaintia Hills district headquarter town can be taken aback by the precious little done to showcase the natural endowments in and around it.
The Syntu Ksiar, which is at the centre of the freedom movement led by U Kiang Nangbah, the picturesque backdrop and the Myntdu flowing by at a distance, surprisingly have a few, or at times, no takers, indicating how laidback the tourism department has been not to promote a potential hotspot in the manner it should have.
That’s not all. Half-done projects left in the lurch for periods too long for comfort — be it a potential revenue-churner in the form of a multi-storied market complex at the heart of the town or a water supply scheme that’s taking an age to materialise — reflects the plight of Jowai constituency and also puts the powers that be in poor light. 
Worse still, education has taken a backseat. The dream for a NEHU campus has all but faded. A government college named after Kiang Nangbah is battling for space to accommodate the ever-increasing enrolments not to mention the dearth of teachers and proper infrastructure to cater to the 3000-odd students. The Jowai Polytechnic and ITI still have to cope with archaic equipment while the B. Ed College is yet to see light of day in terms of inauguration.
“I have not decided whom to vote for. But one thing is certain, I will not vote for Congress because it has promised much all these years but failed to deliver. Pleas for separate buildings for Arts/ Science/Commerce streams in our college have fallen on deaf ears for ten years now,” rues Pyniar Dhar, the president of Kiang Nangbah Government College Students Union.  
A Congress stronghold since 1983, barring a decade in between, Jowai will not have sitting legislator RC Laloo in the fray this Assembly election. That’s after Laloo, also the deputy chief minister and former education minister, being in the hot seat for 25 long years.
“That’s not all. The boys’ hostel is in a dilapidated state with no drinking water and poor maintenance. Besides, contractual teachers play truant, a trend triggered by low compensation (Rs 5000 per month). It’s a shame that RC Laloo, despite being a professor himself and an education minister, did not pay attention to the problems of the college,” says Anicky Suchiang, the cultural affairs secretary of the college union.
Both Pyniar (21) and Anicky (21) are B.Sc 4th semester students and will cast their votes in February next year for the very first time.
“What’s disconcerting and almost abominable is that legislators tend to wake up only at the end of the fourth year knowing that the next elections are just a year away. That’s why you see that the B.Ed College, the construction of which started in 2013, is being given its final coat of paint as we speak, though the approach road is yet to be black-topped,” says a resident of Mynthony where the college is located.
At his gems and jewellery shop adjacent to where the unfinished Iawmusiang market complex structure stands, Iatha Najiar, the president of the Jaintia Tribal Traders Association recalls the day when the old structure where his mother had a shop, was dismantled back in 2011.
“Since then, we have been demanding completion of the structure but the progress of construction has been awfully slow, as you can gauge by the jungle within and surrounding the structure. But the MLA did not take us seriously and now we have lost faith in the party,” Najiar laments.
Echoing Najiar, a woman selling tungrymbai (fermented bean dish) and tungtap (dried fish chutney) in her makeshift stall nearby, says, “I just hope that the elected representative fast track the process of construction of the complex.”
Coming to the political equation, the Laloo opt-out move significantly opens up the contest substantially with a triangular fight brewing between NPP’s Wailad Shylla, a rather new face projected by brother in-law and former minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, UDP’s Moonlight Pariat, who is the sitting MDC and Congress’ Andrew Shullai, who is the chief executive member of JHADC and nominated by Laloo.
Besides, former MLA Sing Mulieh and his nephew and sitting MDC, Marki Mulieh are vying for BJP ticket.
Jowai has 33,138 voters, a majority from the Pnar community. The facts substantiate that a majority of the rural voters would favour NPP as Wailad belongs to Mukhla village. The urban vote will be more or less shared between UDP and the Congress.

Residents say that Laloo’s failure to live up to public expectations over the decades coupled with the fact that MB Rymbai (Congress MDC) who represents Khliehtyrshi, a Congress stronghold, has joined NPP, will work against Andrew Shullai’s prospects.

The beneficiary here will be Wailad with Sohmynting, earlier a UDP bastion, now more favourable to NPP.
Just 27 years old and happy to see his party gaining a foothold in the constituency, Wailad says he wants to reach out to people besides tackling the burning issues of Jowai.
“Being from the rural area, I have seen the gap between elected representatives and villagers. So my first duty if I am elected would be to reduce this gap. I want to reach out to the grassroots. There are issues such as the completion of the Iawmusiang market complex, the Umgnot water supply scheme and developing Kiang Nangbah College,” he says.

The UDP too is optimistic.  
“UDP’s chances are good. With Laloo not contesting, half of his supporters will now be rooting for me while the remaining half is waiting for notification from the ECI and at least a quarter of that half will support me. About 35 percent from the rural area will back me as well. People here perceive that after Laloo there is no other candidate fit to represent the Legislative Assembly,” Pariat says.
The UDP leader, for his part, is eyeing a change. “I have a plan to bring about change in all departments, especially development schemes. I want to set up standard roads and as the state government does not have the funds, I believe I have the experience and the expertise to bring schemes from the Centre,” Pariat asserts.
“I have worked very hard to get the market project cleared and thereafter almost Rs 19 crore was sanctioned by the DoNER ministry. The first instalment of Rs 6.33crore was released but the second instalment has taken very long. That’s because at that time I was not in power in the district council and the ruling party did not pay heed to the opposition’s proposals for moving Delhi,” he says.
Pariat said that 70 per cent work of the Umngot water supply scheme has been done. “But it is unfortunate that the scheme is not reflected in the state budget. I plan to complete the pending schemes if voted to power. Besides I have prepared a strategy to tackle the drainage of waste matter into the Myntdu besides easing traffic congestion in Jowai town,” he says.
On NPP gaining momentum, Pariat alleges, “NPP wants to destroy the youths of Jowai constituency,” obliquely referring to money power.
However, Wailad refutes the charge, saying that it is just the usual propaganda that the opposition parties resort to when they are wary of its rival gaining the upper hand.
Asked about the economy taking a hit post the NGT ban on coal mining, Congress’ Andrew Shullai says he will “find ways and means to uplift the livelihoods of people.”
“There are so many things which can be done but employment creation will be my priority.”
“We have to expand the scope (of employability) and initiate handholding activities in different sectors after identifying where jobs can be generated for the educated unemployed youths,” he says, while downplaying the anti-incumbency factor playing a role.
Clarifying on the delay for the release of the second instalment for the market complex, Shullai put the onus on the Centre instead and alleged that release of funds was intentionally stopped even after utilisation certificates were provided.
Claims and counter claims apart, Jowai has had its share of problems for too long and it remains to be seen whether the elected representative goes beyond his call of duty to solve them or wakes up late, like his predecessor, in the “fifth year” to make up for “four years of slumber”. “The trend needs to change for good,” says Pyniar.