From Kynsai L Sangriang
MAWKYRWAT: ‘The enemy of your enemy is a friend’, said Chanakya centuries ago. And over the centuries, leaders and political parties had based their stratagem on the profound idea.
This time, the Congress in Ranikor too did not dither on helping such a “friend” to checkmate an enemy in his own bastion.
The party, which had revenge in mind, played a crucial role in the defeat of its former MLA Martin M Danggo, a senior UDP leader in Ranikor has said.
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Tuesday, president of the UDP Ranikor circle GG Bung Snaitang was candid about the “understanding” that the party unit had with the state Congress leadership.
UDP’s Pius Marwein, a 27-year-old greenhorn, defeated five-time MLA Danggo in the just concluded by-poll by 2,896 votes. “We are not denying, the Congress has contributed so much to the victory of our candidate,” Snaitang said.
“We knew that the Congress wanted to revenge Danggo for leaving the party and joining the NPP. Therefore, we (leaders UDP Ranikor Circle) requested the leaders of the Congress party at the state level to give the ticket to a candidate who will be an advantage for UDP and also who can split the vote bank of Danggo in the border area,” he added.
The Congress, which had resolved to avenge Danggo’s move to quit the party, chose Jackiush Sangma, a Garo, as its candidate.
Explaining the by-poll strategy, Snaitang said had the Congress given ticket to JC Diengngan, one of the leaders who took the responsibility to reorganise the party after the Ranikor Block Congress Committee was dissolved, all the Khasis would have “lost hope because Marwein, PN Syiem (of PDF) and Diengngan are all Khasis”.
“All those who wanted to leave Danggo would have had no choice but stay in his camp; all those who followed PN Syiem would support him till the end; and most importantly, he would have got only the votes of the Khasis that would have had no impact in the border areas,” Snaitang said.
However, as the ticket went to a Garo candidate and “especially with the hard work of Mukul Sangma, his wife, daughter and other Congress leaders”, the border areas “were shaken”.
Snaitang explained that this had a repercussion in the upland areas where voters did not know the capacity of Jackiush and chose to support Marwein.
“The Congress was able to split the vote in the border areas and therefore they (the electorate) rushed to the UDP and there was a drastic increase in votes in all the Khasi villages and there was also an improvement in the border areas,” Snaitang said.
“Due to this reason I had said we would not allow the high command of the UDP to interfere in the Ranikor by-poll because we have our own understanding with the Congress at the state level to get a candidate who would be an advantage for the UDP to win the election and to defeat Danggo,” he added.
Asked whether there was any condition in that “understanding with the Congress”, Snaitang said there was no deal but a “friend request” because “we knew that the Congress wanted to defeat Danggo for humiliating the party”.
Snaitang said the UDP Ranikor circle wanted to thank the Congress for having this common understanding.
He also thanked all the leaders of the UDP in the central body, in Mawkyrwat and Nongstoin and also the leaders of HSPDP who “worked hard to ensure Marwein’s victory”.
The Congress was happy despite its loss in Ranikor because Danggo’s resignation stole the party’s single majority status.
Also, the former minister’s win could have triggered further defection to the NPP, for which CLP leader Mukul Sangma camped in Ranikor.