NONGSTOIN: The final day of the election campaign in Nongstoin market turned into a war of words among contesting candidates and thousands of people witnessed the parties’ last-minute effort to garner support.
Charges and counter-charges were hurled at each other as candidates blew their trumpets.
The Congress’s B Nonglang, the party’s district president, and Golden Nonglong addressed a large gathering at a rally on Sunday.
Nonglong said the policies implemented by the Congress have benefited the people of the state. He was confident of the party’s victory.
Acknowledging the inability of legislators to acquire funds for bettering healthcare, proper roads and water supply, Nonglong said the Congress have able leaders to run the government and that was evident from the party’s achievements in the last few years.
He said most of the customary laws in Nongstoin were formulated by the then deputy Syiem Wickliff Syiem and those were responsible for making Nongstoin stable and peaceful.
The Congress leader’s claims were refuted by none other than his rival from NPP, AL Syiem, who said people should not be misguided by falsehood.
“Election campaigns should never be based on pseudo-facts but on wholesome truth so that people can have a clear understanding. Wickliff Syiem fought for the independence of Nongstoin and he did not spend his time on creating customary laws by which Nongstoin would be governed. India got its independence in 1947 and its constitution was completed in 1950. The customary laws of Nongtoin could not have existed before this,” Syiem clarified.
“The customary laws of Nongstoin were structured and formulated by NPP leader Macmillan Byrsat in 2003, which the District Council of the state favoured and passed the Bill with the consent of the then governor of Meghalaya MM Jacob,” he added.
Training his gun on another rival party, HSPDP, Syiem said the discontentment in the party after the death of Hopingstone Lyngdoh had clouded the ideals of the party.
War of words…
(Contd from P-3) “The disrespect of Ardent Basaiawmoit towards the Khasi Social Custom and Lineage Act that strengthened the matrilineal society has now become a point of discussion among the hardcore HSPDP leaders which in turn could have disastrous bearings on the tribal society. This was against the traditional system of the Khasi people,” he said and added that NPP strives for unity in Meghalaya and the country as a whole.
Syiem also rebutted claims of NPP rivals that the party would work with BJP saying Conrad Sangma, being a Christian, will protect the rights of minorities.
Former UDP candidate Moskalndar Marngar said he was not the leader who fought for uranium mining in the district as claimed but he was against the government on this and he supported the ideals of Hopingstone Lyngdoh.
HSPDP candidate D Jyndiang, who is seeking re-election, said the media had wrongly accused him of saying that he would pray that ill fortune falls on corrupt politicians and government employees.
PDF youth wing president Marbiang Nongseij criticised the Nongstoin MLA for his senseless curse against corrupt government employees and politicians in the district and said it was an “immature statement”.
He added that Ardent Basaiawmoit axed LGA Nongseij along with Morning Mawsor, both party members and MDCs of their respective constituencies because they supported the Khasi Social Custom and Lineage Act.
According to the youth leader, this was a direct violation of the traditional and customary laws of the Khasi people and was the reason which made Nongseij join the PDF.
He accused the MLA of being biased in distributing tin sheets.
He mentioned that though the RTI act inquired into the matter, people who really deserved the tin sheets under the scheme received less than what they were entitled to.
Seeking support for LGA Nongseij, he said HSPDP under the leadership of Basaiawmoit and Jyndiang was a divided party and that many office bearers were not faithful to the core beliefs of the party.
